Case Competitions

Case Competitions provide students the opportunity to: 

• Apply classroom learning to real business concerns/issues
• Build and manage high functioning teams
• Network with companies and peers from other MBA programs
• Strengthen our brand and sustain our reputation
• Have fun and a chance to win money!

Carlson teams have historically had great success at Case Competitions. Past teams have placed first at Business School Alliance for Health Management (BAHM), Pfizer, Medtronic, and ACG Case Competitions. Teams have competed as far as Singapore to Waco, TX. We encourage all students to participate and compete in case competitions during their time in the Carlson MBA program. Students will be advised by other students and staff as they participate with pre and post departure debrief meetings. Case Competitions provide students a chance to round out their MBA experience by finding solutions to business cases by analyzing, synthesizing, influencing others, and improving their communication skills.

Case Competitions that Carlson Participated in During the 2018-2019 Academic Year

National Investment Banking Competition

Competing in NIBC will allow the most accomplished students to attain international recognition from peers and industry professionals. Participants will be required to develop and showcase their skills in financial analysis, modeling and pitching, while competing with peers from some of the best schools in the world for a $15,000 prize pool.

National MBA Human Capital (Vanderbilt)

Owen Graduate School of Management is proud to host the twelfth annual National MBA Human Capital Case Competition. Generously funded by Deloitte Consulting and HP Inc., the competition will pit teams from top graduate schools across the country against each other to address a real-world human capital issue and present solutions relevant in today’s fast-paced global economy. In order to compete, teams need to have a minimum of 3 first year students, and at least 3 FT MBA students. Find out more here.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's 2nd Annual Case Competition

Showcase your creativity and leadership thinking, and go head-to-head with teams from the country's top business schools while competing for cash prizes. Finalists will be invited to compete before a panel of A-list judges at the live competition in Washington, D.C. Open to all FT, PT, and Executive MBA students. Find out more here.

Elite 8 Brand Management Case Competition

The Challenge involves eight student teams, who are presented with a strategic brand management challenge currently faced by a partner company. The teams are given 30 hours to prepare a structured case analysis and accompanying recommendations. They present these findings to a panel of expert judges, allowing partner companies the opportunity to critically assess students' brand management, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. Find out more here.

Deloitte Tech Innovation Challenge

Deloitte is launching the sixth annual ‘Deloitte 2018 MBA Technology Innovation Challenge’ – a virtual competition here students develop and pitch their innovative solutions to a real-world client issue. The challenge is targeted to 1st years and 2nd year FT MBA students. Find out more here.

Duke Energy

Participate in Duke Energy Week! The case teams are to be composed of a minimum of three (3) to a maximum of five (5) full-time graduate students.  The case will require rigorous financial analysis. Therefore a minimum of one (1) MBA student per team is required. Find out more here.

National Sports Forum

The National Sports Forum created the annual NSF Case Cup competition to meet the needs of individuals just beginning their professional sports careers. Students first compete in a 24-hour multidisciplinary case study designed to push students to excel in a real world, fast paced environment similar to working conditions in the sports industry. Find out more here.

National MBA Case Competition in Ethical Leadership

The purpose of the competition is to advance the development of ethical leaders through experiential learning and to recognize and promote MBA students and their programs for participation in a national case competition in ethical leadership. Find out more here.

Schulich International Case Competition

Business for a Better World Case Competition, an international contest now going into its sixth year, is a partnership between Corporate Knights, the company for clean capitalism, and the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto. This competition provides students with the opportunity to discuss real-life business challenges, bringing together a collection of innovative and pragmatic solutions. Focused on mining, finance, and sustainability, we’re about pitching real solutions to current industry leaders. This is a unique opportunity to engage with industry leaders, stakeholders, and students to shape the future of the mining industry. Find out more here.

Pfizer/John's Hopkins Case Competition

The case competition features a unique and challenging opportunity to solve a real-world business challenge involving Pfizer pharmaceutical products. Teams will be judged by Pfizer executives whose work is directly related to the case topic.

Berkeley Haas Tech Challenge

Each Fall since 2011 the Technology Club at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley has put on the preeminent tech-focused MBA case competition. Competitors gain hands-on experience in the technology industry and exclusive access to the protagonist company. The three-day event is a fantastic opportunity for the protagonist company to leverage the creativity of top MBAs to solve a real problem facing their business, as well as unique exposure to students during the recruiting season. 

Ross Renewable Energy Case Competition

The RECC features MBA teams from top national and international business schools, who compete to solve one of the many significant challenges facing the renewable energy industry today. The 2016 topic focused on issues surrounding New York's Reforming the Energy Vision (REV). A sound understanding of finance, business strategy, and the energy industry was required to effectively analyze the case and devise a successful solution. Find out more here.

2018 Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC)

In this case competition students play the role of VCs who have around $100MM to invest in one of the startups presenting. They’ll be assessing the investment opportunities and pitching an investment strategy to the VC judges. Find out more here.

Illinois MBA Strategy Case Competition

Participants will have to analyze a complex business strategy case and present to a panel of judges. This is an excellent opportunity for MBA students to hone their communications skills. It is also a networking opportunity to interact with fellow MBAs from other programs, as well as corporate sponsors and judges. 

Net Impact Case Competition

The competition attracts top-rated business schools and future industry leaders to Boulder, Colorado for the two-day event. NICC is an opportunity to bring together students, executives and businesses that share a common commitment to sustainable business practices. 

Patagonia Case Competition 

Patagonia and the Berkeley Haas Center for Responsible Business are partnering to host the fourth Patagonia Case Competition. Graduate students from across the US tackle the interconnected business and sustainability aspects of a current, real-life issue facing the outdoor gear retailer Patagonia. In the first round of competition, interdisciplinary teams submit solutions to a case developed by the Berkeley-Haas Case Series and Patagonia. Senior leaders from Patagonia review all submissions and select finalists to present their solutions to Patagonia executives in person at Berkeley-Haas. Find out more here.

Business School Alliance for Health Management (BAHM) Annual Competition

Formed in 2010 BAHM was created to transform the health sector by advancing education, research, and practice in the nation's top schools of management. It is a collaborative non-profit organization comprised of business schools committed to the belief that management education, applied to the challenges of healthcare delivery and healthcare innovation plays a special role in creating new and important solutions. The first year, in 2013 our team took second place, in 2014 and 2018, first!  Carlson teams have competed against such schools as Harvard, Berkeley, and Duke.  More information can be found here. 

ACG Cup

The ACG Cup® is a case study competition designed to give students from leading MBA programs across the country real world experience and invaluable insights into mergers and acquisitions, investment banking, financial advisory and private equity. Each case study provides students with a unique opportunity to present valuation, capital markets and M&A strategic advice to a panel of seasoned M&A professionals from within the ACG community.