Spring 2025 IACBE Live Case Competition Recap: Students Tackle Real-World Financial Wellness Challenge with WealthFluent
This Spring, more than 190 students from over 20 institutions around the world participated in CapSource’s largest-ever Live Case Competition, powered by the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE), featuring industry sponsor, WealthFluent, and hosted via our Experiential Learning Platform.
Real-World Innovation Through Competition
This 5-week experience immersed 44 interdisciplinary student teams in an Open Innovation-style challenge that mimicked real industry consulting:
Preliminary Deliverable: Executive memo outlining the team’s approach
Top 12 Finalist Presentations: Live 10-minute pitches + 10-minute Q&A
Judged by Industry Experts: Including WealthFluent’s founding team, board members, and external advisors
Cash Prizes: For the top 3 teams
Teams were tasked to develop a robust go-to-market strategy for WealthFluent, targeting Gen Z and Millennial professionals while addressing challenges like user trust, engagement, and financial literacy.
Over the course of the competition, student teams explored digital engagement tactics, behavioral science, and marketing innovation to reimagine what modern financial education could look like. Throughout the experience, students were able to engage directly with WealthFluent Senior Leadership through a Kickoff Webinar, Q&A Webinar, and One-on-One Office Hours Sessions.
At the awards ceremony, students were celebrated not only for their performance, but also for their professionalism, growth, and collaboration. All participants received feedback and certificates of completion, while finalists were offered follow-up opportunities with WealthFluent—including internships and affiliate partnerships.
The competition served as a reminder of the power of experiential learning—where students apply their education in a setting that’s both challenging and deeply rewarding.
Meet the Top 3 Teams & Their Solutions
1st Place Team: Chaminade University, Chaminade Beta
This student-led team—comprised of student-athletes and aspiring entrepreneurs—developed a compelling plan to leverage NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) student-athlete partnerships and on-campus consulting clubs to help younger generations adopt financial tools earlier in life.
Key Highlights:
- NIL ambassadors supported by finance student consultants
- University-purchased WealthFluent subscription bundles
- Rollout plan leveraging Chaminade’s relationships with major universities via the Maui Invitational
- SMART goals: 50% subscription retention, 20% increase in financial literacy, 25 students per workshop
Watch Final Presentation | 
Read the Executive Memo
2nd Place Team: Lewis-Clark State College, Warriors of Wallstreet
This team focused on optimizing the WealthFluent platform experience through:
- Mobile-first product design
- Gamification (naming your Magpie chatbot!)
- Referral & affiliate marketing
- Social media and podcast influencer campaigns
- Employer benefits strategy for embedding WealthFluent into HR tech stacks
Watch Final Presentation | Read the Executive Memo
Their standout idea? Gamified learning & investing tools, supported by performance metrics and KPI tracking, making it easy for users to build healthy habits from day one.
Third Place Team: Florida Institute of Technology, Florida Tech
With strong UX/UI suggestions, video prototypes, and primary research from 24 Gen Z professionals, this team brought fresh energy to WealthFluent’s rollout plans. Their approach centered around:
- Duolingo-style financial education modules
- Investment simulations with milestone badges
- A campus ambassador program for brand awareness
- Influencer podcast ads (they even recorded a mock one!)
Watch Final Presentation | Read the Executive Memo
Their insight? Education and simplicity reduce distrust—and smart onboarding helps first-time users feel confident in their financial journey.
A Case Study in Scalable Impact
CapSource’s platform powered every step of this experiential journey—from registration and team formation to project management and final submissions. As an Open Innovation format, the competition offered:
- Real-World Challenge: A real startup seeking actionable ideas
- Scalable Learning Environment: 100% virtual, accessible across campuses
- Structured Deliverables: Executive memos, recorded webinars, and live feedback
- Cross-Campus Collaboration: With personalized tracking and evaluation
Whether it’s a capstone, course-embedded project, or live case competition, our tools help schools scale quality experiential learning like never before.
Get Involved: Fall 2025 Registration Now Open!
Students & Educators:
- Register your school or team for the Fall 2025 IACBE Live Case Competition, running from 10/13-11/21.
- $50/student or $500/unlimited
Companies & Startups:
- Want to be our next featured company sponsor?
- Submit a challenge and gain access to 200+ talented business students tackling your most pressing business needs.
- Apply to Sponsor Fall 2025
Keep the Learning Going: Use the WealthFluent Case Study in Your Class!
Couldn’t participate in the Spring 2025 IACBE Live Case Competition? No problem. You can now bring this industry challenge into your classroom as a dynamic case study through CapSource’s Open Innovation Library!
Explore the WealthFluent Case:
Disrupting Wealth Management: Empowering Young Professionals to Own Their Financial Future with WealthFluent
This case encourages students to:
- Engage in real-world problem-solving
- Explore career pathways in finance, marketing, entrepreneurship, and technology
- Practice communicating ideas in professional formats
- Understand the fintech startup landscape and personal finance education
Whether you’re teaching a course in strategy, marketing, entrepreneurship, innovation, or personal finance, this case is a ready-to-use opportunity for:
- Class discussions
- Team-based projects
- Capstone-style assessments
- Career discovery and exploration exercises
It’s a fantastic way to prepare students for the future of work—while also giving them a chance to make a real impact.
Or, Browse our Expanding Open Innovation Case Library
Learn More About CapSource
CapSource helps schools scale experiential learning through tools for project-based learning, mentorship, case-based learning, and live competitions like this one. Whether you’re looking to integrate a small company into a classroom or power a global competition, we’re here to help.
Explore Our Platform
See SUNY Potsdam’s Portfolio of Completed Projects and Programs
Want to explore how Open Innovation projects like this one could work at your school or company?
What Other Schools Can Learn from SUNY Potsdam
The SUNY Applied Learning Framework provides a scalable model for institutions looking to integrate real-world experiences into their curriculum. Key takeaways for other schools include:
Offering diverse applied learning opportunities—from research projects to entrepreneurial initiatives.
Leveraging technology to streamline, track, and manage experiential learning efficiently.
Partnering with industry to enhance student engagement and career readiness.
Ensuring scalability and accessibility so that students from all disciplines can participate.
At CapSource, we are dedicated to helping institutions replicate and scale this success, ensuring that applied learning is accessible, impactful, and career-enhancing for all students.
Join the Applied Learning Revolution
SUNY Potsdam’s commitment to applied learning is setting a high standard for workforce-ready education. Through our ongoing partnership, we continue to help them streamline and scale their experiential learning initiatives.
If you’re an educator, program director, or university administrator looking to enhance your applied learning programs, we invite you to explore how CapSource can support your efforts.
Learn More About CapSource & Applied Learning: CapSource.io
Let’s build the future of education—one real-world project at a time!