Midway Ventures CVCC (Chicago Venture Capital Competition)

10 teams, 3 startups, 4 venture capitalists, and only 24 hours to prepare. 

The Midway Ventures Chicago Venture Capital Competition (CVCC) kicked off on November 15th at Chicago Booth, challenging finalists to analyze 3 distinct ventures spearheaded exclusively by Booth and UChicago founders: Club Hub, Hydrastack, and Uncle May’s Produce. The morning of the event was a whirlwind of caffeine and competition. After a quick introduction of the VC judging panel, teams were sequestered to build investment cases and term sheets from scratch. The highlight of the day was the rapid-fire founder Q&A sessions, a vital 10-minute window for teams to pressure-test their assumptions before delivering their final pitches to a panel of venture capitalists. With 50% of our expert judging panel being Midway alumni, the event served as a powerful bridge between current students and the professional leaders who once stood in their shoes. 

CVCC by the Numbers

  • 10 Finalist Teams selected from a highly competitive applicant pool.

  • 400+ Cumulative Hours of strategic analysis performed in a single 24-hour sprint.

  • 100% UChicago-Founded startups, showcasing our internal venture pipeline.

  • $0 to Term Sheet: Teams built full investment theses for seed-stage companies in under a day.

CVCC Winning Teams 

Amidst fierce competition and tight scorelines, three outstanding teams emerged victorious. We would like to extend our congratulations to the following teams: 

  • 303 Capital: Pranav Bellannagari, Adarsh Kalyan, Rithvik Jandhyala, Ines Jorge 

  • Swag Out: Kendric Hsu, Timothy Castle, Derek Han, Robert Rong 

  • GGKM Partners: Matthew Kang, Alexander Giannuzzi, Aarav Mangla, Shaamak Goyal 

Hear from Pranav, the team leader of 303 Capital: 

“Participating in CVCC was a really valuable experience, especially getting the opportunity to pitch to real VCs and conduct due diligence by asking founders directly about their companies. One of the biggest takeaways for our team was learning to focus the investment decision on the founders rather than just the company itself. At such an early stage, startups often don’t have enough traction or metrics to rely on, so the founders truly make or break the opportunity. Centering our analysis on founder quality, vision, and execution is what ultimately helped us stand out and win the competition.” 

- Pranav, second-year at UChicago

Acknowledgements

CVCC would not have been made possible without the support of the four outstanding judges, and the amazing founders of the startups featured in the competition. We were extremely honored to have the following individuals from various VCs take time off their busy schedules to judge the competition and provide invaluable feedback:

In addition, we were also extremely grateful to the various founders who devoted their time to talking with the competitors and giving them insight into their own startups:

 

Student Takeaways from the CVCC 

  • “CVCC was my first actual venture capital competition. From building financial models to pitching real-world startups, the experience bridges the gap between the theory I learned in Midway and actual industry practice. Engaging directly with the UChicago startup ecosystem was an incredible way to kick off my first year.” - Andrew, first-year at UChicago

  • “I learned a lot about how to do valuations and business analysis. I also learned the importance of founders and how a lot of the decision making in VC is done by faith in individuals versus just the raw numbers.” - William, first-year at UChicago

  • "CVCC was an amazing opportunity to really stress-test my technical skills in a competitive setting. From drafting term sheets to conducting founder interviews, the experience highlighted the strength of Midway’s training and the vibrancy of the UChicago venture scene. It was genuinely such a privilege to engage with such talented founders right here at Booth." - Charlotte, first-year at UChicago

Midway and the future of CVCC - President’s Note

CVCC felt like a real investing war room, not a student event. It was a clear showcase of the sheer talent at UChicago: students brought analytical rigor, creativity, and conviction to operate like real investors under pressure. Having competed during my first year as a New Member, it has been incredibly rewarding to see how this event has evolved. 

It was especially awesome to see the UChicago startup ecosystem come together so naturally: Booth founders sharing their companies with students, Midway alumni returning as judges and mentors, and Midway new members competing with unmatched energy. That mix of founders, investors, and students reminded us of why we do this. 

This event sets the tone for what we want to keep building. We’re excited to continue expanding opportunities for students to learn venture and startups by actually doing it. If you’re interested in partnering with us for future competitions or events, reach out at darren@midwaycollective.org.