About the Program
The Fellows
The HVF Pitch Lab
Information for Venture Capitalists
Application Information for Students
Previous "VC Fellows"

The Haas Venture Fellows Pitch Lab provides entrepreneurs from the greater UC Berkeley community with the opportunity to practice their pitches and receive truly objective feedback on their ideas. The HVF team has collectively seen hundreds of pitches for funding, including those by entrepreneurs involved with business plan competitions at Haas and applicants to the Berkeley Entrepreneurship Lab. The goal of the HVF Pitch Lab is to provide feedback on both the style and the content of the presentation in a risk-free environment. The HVF team also has substantial contacts in the venture community and can guide teams on how to best approach the fundraising process. All information disclosed in Pitch Lab sessions will be held in strict confidence if requested.

Format: Time slots are 45 minutes and the team should come prepared to give a 15 minute presentation (~10 slides). A projector is provided – please bring your own laptop. Presentations are made to at least two Haas Venture Fellows and faculty from the Haas School of Business may be present.

Location: Lester Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (F450) at the Haas School of Business. Parking can be found here map.

Scheduling: Reservations are required for the HVF Pitch Lab, held on Tuesdays from 12:30 to 2:00 pm. Please contact Craig Klemp or Kaan Ersun to schedule a time by sending an email to "Craig_Klemp" AT "MBA.berkeley.edu" or "Kaan_Ersun" AT "MBA.berkeley.edu" with “HVF Pitch Lab” in the subject line. A representative will contact you to confirm your time for the HVF Pitch Lab.

Teams which presented to Pitch Lab and received subsequent funding include Aurora Biofuels, TubeMogul and Yardbarker, among others.

Before presenting, please take a moment to review a few resources for understanding what goes into a great startup pitch:

Sequoia Capital Ideas and Formats
Guy Kawasaki’s References-Building a Company
Kauffman Foundation Sample Template on Pitching Angels
Inc. Magazine Elements of a Winning Pitch
Bill Joos Tips from the Trenches