Reverse Tank

Where Founders Become Investors. Where Investors Have to Earn the Deal.

Most competitions ask you to build a startup and pitch it.

Reverse Tank asks you to do both sides of the deal.

Every team enters with one Founder and two Investors. You will build and pitch a startup, defend your business under questioning, evaluate other teams' startups, conduct due diligence, negotiate terms, deploy a limited fund, and ultimately defend your investment decisions before a panel of industry experts.

There are no external case packs. No outside startups. No pre-written deals.

The participants create the deal flow.

The strongest founders from one stage become the startups that investors compete to back in the next. The sharpest investors earn their place in the Finals, where they must prove not just what they invested in, but why they were the right investor to make that decision.

Welcome to Reverse Shark Tank - Strategia's flagship finance track.

The Core Concept:

Reverse Shark Tank is designed around one central question:

Can you think like a founder, invest like a VC, and negotiate like a dealmaker?

Every team consists of:

• 1 Founder - responsible for building and defending the startup.
• 2 Investors - responsible for evaluating opportunities, negotiating deals, and managing the team's fund.
• The Founder and Investors operate as one team, but their objectives are deliberately different.
• The Founder wants to secure the best possible deal.
• The Investors want to deploy capital only when the risk-adjusted opportunity makes sense.
• Across the competition, participants will experience both sides of the venture capital ecosystem - raising capital and deploying it.

How The Competition Works:

The competition is divided into two major stages.

Stage 1 - Online Qualifier:

The Online Qualifier consists of two components:

1. Due-Diligence Test:

Teams will receive access to a simulated data room containing information such as:

• Financial statements
• Cap table
• Revenue and operating metrics
• Transaction information
• Company background
• Potential inconsistencies and planted red flags

Teams will be tested on their ability to identify risks, interpret financial information, assess valuation, and determine whether a business deserves further consideration.

2. Founder Pitch Video:

Each team will submit a 2.5-minute founder pitch video presenting their startup and investment opportunity.

Alongside the pitch, teams will receive a private Terms Sheet specifying parameters such as:

• Minimum cheque requirement
• Maximum equity offered
• Strategic-fit conditions, where applicable
• The objective is not simply to present an exciting business.
• The Founder must make the opportunity investable.
• Top 50 teams advance to the Offline Event.

Stage 2 - The Offline Deal Floor:

• The top 50 teams move to the live competition.
• The teams will be divided into 10 panels of 5 seats, operating across 3 concurrent rooms.
• This is where Reverse Shark Tank becomes a live deal-making environment.

Teams will alternate between:

Investing:

• As an Investor, your team will receive a defined fund and a specific investment persona.
• You will evaluate fellow participants, ask questions, conduct rapid diligence, challenge assumptions, negotiate terms, and decide whether to: CLOSE or PASS.

Pitching:

• As a Founder, you will enter the room and pitch your startup to competing investor seats.
• You will face questions, objections and negotiations from investors who have limited capital and multiple opportunities competing for their attention.

The Live Deal Format:

Every deal follows a strict 6-minute format:

2 Minutes - Pitch:

• The Founder presents the opportunity.
• You must communicate:
• Problem
• Solution
• Business model
• Market opportunity
• Traction / assumptions
• Competitive positioning
• Funding requirement
• Why the investor should care

3 Minutes - Grill & Negotiate:

• The investors take control.
• Expect questions around:
• Financial performance
• Valuation
• Unit economics
• Market size
• Competitive advantage
• Risks
• Cap table
• Use of funds
• Founder assumptions
• Strategic fit
• Investors can negotiate the terms of the proposed transaction.
• Founders must defend their valuation and decide how much they are willing to concede.

1 Minute - Close Or Pass:

• Investors must make the call.
• Deal or No Deal.
• A deal is counted only when it satisfies all applicable conditions:
• Meets the minimum cheque requirement
• Remains within the maximum equity ceiling
• Satisfies any strategic-fit clause
• Fits within the investor's remaining fund
• If multiple investor seats compete for the same startup, the founder will select the better-terms offer, subject to the competition rules.

Important Dates:

• Prelims Date: To Be Announced
• Platform: Unstop
• Day 1 - Live Deal Floor (Offline)
• Time: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
• Date: 15/02/2027
• Day 2 - Finals (Offline)
• Following Day
• Date: 16/02/2027

Before Day 1:

Investor Forms & Persona Cards will be issued to qualifying teams.