MBA Competitions - EJ
Competitions offer opportunities for Leeds MBA students to test their skills against MBA students from other programs.
These events also provide important networking potential, giving students exposure to judging panels of influential business leaders. Our students have an impressive record of performance in local, national and international competitions, besting teams from many of the top MBA programs.
As the culmination of the Business Plan Preparation course, the competition challenges students to generate an innovative concept for a product or service and design a comprehensive business plan around it. Local entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and other successful members of the business community serve as the judges. The interaction between students and business professionals is a strength of the Leeds School’s Deming Center for Entrepreneurship and its approach to entrepreneurship education. Organizers of the competition create a real-world environment, which is often the launch pad for new start-ups among Leeds graduates.
The Rocky Mountain Real Estate Challenge is an annual event designed to serve as a learning tool for students of the University of Colorado and University of Denver's graduate real estate programs, while assisting the project sponsor with the development options for the specific property. Student teams are aided by real estate professionals and architectural/engineering experts to deliver development proposals that determined the highest and best use for the project.
The Leeds Net Impact Case Competition (NIC) is the premiere MBA competition focused on solving real world sustainability business cases. Based on a “live” company case developed in collaboration with a corporate sponsor, the competition attracts teams of students from top rated business schools and future industry leaders to Boulder, Colorado for the two-day event. The competition is an opportunity to bring together students, executives and businesses that share a common commitment to sustainable business practices and financial returns. This year’s corporate sponsor is Johns Manville, a Berkshire Hathaway Company.
The annual Urban Land Institute (ULI) Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition pits graduate level teams against each other based on a hypothetical proposal for a redevelopment project. Student teams act as a master developer by proposing a master land use plan for a development site, as well as supplying financial projections needed to support the master development plan. At the 2012 competition, a revitalization project for downtown Houston combining residential, retail, and entrepreneurial business elements has secured the first place grand prize of $50,000 in a national urban design competition for a joint team from the University of Colorado Boulder and Harvard University.
The Venture Capital Investment Competition began in 1998 as an educational event for MBAs to learn about venture funding. VCIC simulates the entire investment process in an extremely condensed time period, providing students with a first-hand glimpse into the world of venture capital. Leeds MBA teams have won the Western Regional competition nine times in the past ten years, advancing to the finals each year. The Leeds MBA team took first place in the international finals competition in 2012. The Deming Center for Entrepreneurship has hosted the mountain regionals ever since the competition began.