2021 Venture Vetting (V2) Pitch Competition at USD

Inspiring the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs!

Organized by the USD School of Business CatalyZer, the V2 Pitch Competition is an annual campus-wide student pitch competition that gives USD students the chance to win seed money to launch their business ideas. 

Over 300 students participated in our V2 workshops this semester. And we've narrowed down the field to just 10 BIG ideas that will be featured in the Grand Finale!

Join us virtually on May 5, 2021 to celebrate the 10 semi-finalist teams and 3 finalist teams, judged by the industry leaders of San Diego as the ones with the most promising entrepreneurial ideas from across the USD campus!

By attending the Grand Finale, you will:

• Refine your own pitching skills by listening to three business idea pitches from student finalists + debriefs from investor judges. 
• Help us decide who should take home the Audience-Choice Awards.
• Get a chance to win one of two $100 GrubHub credits by giving our student entrepreneurs constructive feedback in the event chat. 
• Get a chance to win an additional $100 GrubHub credit by being one of the first 200 to register for the Grand Finale.

Our judges & speakers include:

• Ron Fowler (a.k.a. the Catalyzer) - CEO, Liquid Investments; Previous Co-Owner, Padres 
• Mike Fasulo (a.k.a. the Corporate Innovator) -  Executive Advisor, Sony Electronics; President & COO (Retired), Sony Electronics
• Mike Krenn (a.k.a. the Innovation Ecosystem Orchestrator) - CEO, Connect
• Sebastian Lucier (a.k.a. the Legal Guru) - Member, Mintz
• Fiona Brophy (a.k.a. the Venture Guru) - Partner, Perkins-Coie, SFO; Co-Chair of Emerging Companies & Venture Capital Practice

We will end the afternoon with the big reveal - the winner/s of the $25,000 seed-fund prizes (both the Audience-Choice and the Investor/Judge-Choice awards). That is what the University of San Diego's Venture Vetting (V2) Pitch Competition is about - resourcing, recognizing, and rewarding the passion of our student entrepreneurs!

USD Students: This event is Career Readiness Programs (COMPASS / CONNECT / PASSPORT) and Networking Points approved!