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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 four pitches, three of which are assigned by organizers for the preliminary rounds and one stock of their own choosing, which will be presented by teams that proceed to the final round. We encourage teams to prepare this final round pitch well ahead of time. On Tuesday, November 1, teams will be assigned their stocks for the preliminary rounds in the morning, and pitches are due at 10 p.m. on Tuesday night.  Changes to presentations will not be accepted after this time.
  2. On Tuesday morning at 9 a.m., organizers will email the teams, assigning one common stock and two industries with a list of the eligible set of stocks to the participating teams. Teams must also be prepared to pitch a stock of their choosing, for which they can prepare well in advance, for the final round, in which 12 teams will be narrowed down to three finalist teams. Teams must decide whether to present a long (buy), neutral (hold), or a short (sell) recommendation on the common stock. For each of the two assigned industries, students will be asked to choose a company that they will pitch as either a long, neutral, or short candidate. Teams are encouraged to pick a stock they feel strongly about (buy or short versus hold).  The three morning rounds are due by 10 p.m. on Tuesday night.  The final round presentation is due Wednesday, November 2, by 10 p.m.  Changes to final presentations will not be accepted after this time.
  3. Preliminary rounds will consist of three pools of presenters and judges. Judges will consist of distinguished investment professionals from the buyside and sellside.
  4. All teams will present their recommendations on the common stock and two industry-specific stocks in the preliminary rounds on Thursday morning. (See details on presentation rules below). The highest scoring team from each group in the preliminary round will advance to the final round on Thursday afternoon where they will pitch their stock of choice. Participants are required to wear business attire for their presentations.
  5. Judges will announce their finalist decisions. Presentation of awards will follow.
  6. Students will be on the honor system throughout the event (see below).
  7. Friday, November 4. Interviews with sponsoring firms for selected students will take place from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

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 name of their schools.
  3. A total of 15 minutes will be allotted per team pitch for all rounds. Ten minutes will be used for the formal presentation, and five minutes for Q&A from the judges. These time limits will be strictly enforced by an official timekeeper. Every presentation must feature a “lead presenter” (a team member who makes the initial ten minute presentation). Each team member must serve as a lead presenter for one of the three stocks. All three team members are encouraged to participate in answering the judges’ questions in all three rounds.
  4. For the final round, teams will deliver a ten minute pitch with five 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 three rounds.  Finalists cannot watch other teams’ final presentations.  Non-finalist teams may watch all final round presentations.
  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.