MicroVentures today announced the launch of MicroVentures Investor Challenge — a Facebook game in which real startups like AirBnB, Etsy, and Pinterest compete for a player's virtual investment.

In Investor Challenge, real startups face off in six weekly rounds and players are in the role of venture capitalist, with $1,000,000 "microbucks" to invest in favorites like Foursquare and Taskrabbit. The startup that commands the most total investment from players advances to the next round where it faces off against a new opponent. At the end of the tournament, one startup emerges victorious, and one investor, too.

"We wanted to turn the current buzz about startups into a fun online investing experience," said MicroVentures Founder and CEO Bill Clark. "The passage of the federal JOBS Act means there's a brand new category of early stage investment opportunities coming online and this is an entertaining way to get exposure to the space."

The game is risk free — there's no real money involved — but players can win $250 in real cash each week for picking winning companies. In September a MacBook Air will be awarded to the overall winner. A new tournament is tentatively slated to begin shortly thereafter.

The JOBS (Jumpstart Our Business Startups) Act passed in March 2012. Once implemented, MicroVentures will be among the first companies to take advantage of its new provisions.

MicroVentures partnered with gamification company Zobee to develop Investor Challenge.