MBA Stock Pitch Challenge Logistics and Rules

Logistics

1. Teams of three students from each school will participate in the MBA Stock Pitch Challenge. Each team is responsible for preparing three pitches in total. For the first two preliminary rounds, teams will pick from a basket of stocks assigned to them by the organizers. Four teams will move on to the final round. For the final round, teams will present a stock of their choosing. As the final round is a stock of the teams’ choosing, we encourage all teams to prepare this final round pitch well ahead of time.
2. On Tuesday, October 31 at 9 a.m. EST, organizers will email the teams their assignments for rounds one and two. For the final round, 12 teams will be narrowed down to four finalist teams. For all assignments, teams are encouraged to pick a stock they feel strongly about (buy or short versus hold).
3. Teams should submit a copy of their two preliminary round presentations and the final round presentation to their Box folder by 10:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, October 31. Organizers will send details on accessing the Box Folder. If the Box folder does not work, please email the presentations to cornell_mba_spc@cornell.edu by the deadline. We encourage students to test the Box folder out in advance, as late submissions will be penalized. Changes to presentations will not be accepted after the deadline.
4. Preliminary rounds will consist of two pools of presenters and judges. Judges will consist of distinguished investment professionals from the buyside and sellside.
5. All teams will present their recommendations in the preliminary rounds on Friday morning (See details on presentation rules below). Four teams from the preliminary round will advance to the final round on Friday afternoon where they will pitch their stock of choice. Participants are required to wear business attire for their presentations.
6. Judges will announce their finalist decisions. Presentation of awards will follow after the final rounds.
7. Students will be on the honor system throughout the event (see below).
8. Interviews with sponsoring firms for selected students will take place from 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m on Thursday, November 2.

Honor System

1. No outside help will be allowed from anyone (i.e., no phone calls, e-mails etc.).
2. All data sources are fair game, including the Internet and any proprietary quantitative or fundamental models developed in advance. However, proper attribution must be provided (i.e., sources must be clearly marked on each slide).
3. Any violation of these rules constitutes grounds for disqualification.

The Presentation

1. All teams must put their stock pitch PowerPoint presentation on a pre-designed template provided by the MBA Stock Pitch Challenge organizers.
2. Teams make their presentations anonymously, using a team number (assigned in a random drawing) and their first and last names – not the names of their schools.
3. A total of 15 minutes will be allotted per team pitch for all rounds. Seven minutes will be used for the formal presentation and eight minutes for Q&A from the judges. An official timekeeper will strictly enforce these time limits. All three team members are encouraged to participate in the presentation and answer the judges’ questions in all three rounds.
4. For the final round, teams will deliver a seven-minute pitch with eight minutes of Q&A. All team members are expected to contribute to the presentation and Q&A in the final round.
5. Student teams are not permitted to watch one another’s presentations in the first two rounds.
6. Judges will be provided with a score sheet for the competition. In brief, the presentation will be judged on the basis of the quality of the analysis, presentation delivery, and the quality of the Q&A session.