Fall 2026 Fully Virtual Live Case Competition
Bring a real AI business challenge into your class, club, or program this fall.
Enroll students in a five-week virtual live case competition where teams help Paier, an AI back-office technology company, explore growth, adoption, positioning, and go-to-market strategy.
Students will work in teams, access the case through CapSource, attend kickoff and Q&A sessions, use optional office hours with the Industry Partner, submit a professional executive pre-read, and compete for finalist presentations, awards, and career-building recognition.
School Recruitment Snapshot
Fall 2026
A low-lift way to give students real AI strategy experience.
Featured Industry Partner
Paier
Paier is building AI-powered back-office technology for businesses. Its AI agent, Bob from Accounting, is designed to help with finance and operational workflows like inbox processing, bill pay, payroll, vendors, fraud detection, and connected business systems.
The Student Challenge
Help an emerging AI company sharpen its growth, customer, and adoption strategy.
Student teams will investigate how Paier can communicate value, identify high-potential customer segments, understand adoption barriers, evaluate positioning, and recommend practical next steps for growth.
For Educators and Program Leaders
Why bring this competition to your students?
This is a low-lift, high-value way to offer real-world learning around AI, entrepreneurship, strategy, marketing, product adoption, and professional communication.
Plug it into what you already run
Use the competition as a course assignment, extra credit opportunity, student club challenge, honors activity, entrepreneurship center program, or career readiness experience.
No case design required
CapSource and Paier provide the challenge, timeline, case materials, kickoff, Q&A, office hours, submission workflow, and finalist process.
Enroll many students affordably
For $500, faculty and program leaders can enroll a full class, club, cohort, center, or student organization.
Strengthen career readiness
Students practice research, collaboration, AI-era judgment, executive communication, and stakeholder-ready recommendation development.
Create visible student outcomes
Promote participating teams, finalists, winners, student reflections, and proof of applied learning across your school.
Pilot CapSource with a real use case
Let faculty and students experience CapSource through a live project before considering broader use for projects, cases, mentoring, or workforce pathways.
For Students
Build experience you can actually talk about.
Students do not just attend an event. They work through a real strategic challenge, produce a professional deliverable, and practice explaining recommendations to real decision-makers.
What students get
- A real AI and business strategy challenge
- Structured resources, timeline, and guidance
- Exposure to an emerging technology company
- Experience with research, teamwork, strategy, and communication
- A professional executive pre-read and possible finalist presentation
- Resume, LinkedIn, portfolio, and interview material
Why the best teams stand out
- They ask strong questions during Q&A
- They use office hours to improve the quality of their thinking
- They bring evidence, not just opinions
- They understand the business problem and user pain points
- They communicate recommendations clearly and professionally
- They can defend their choices in front of judges
How the Competition Works
Seven clear steps from school recruitment to finalist presentations.
The competition is designed so educators can recruit teams confidently and students know exactly how to participate.
Schools and students register
Faculty can enroll a class, club, or cohort. Students may also register individually or as a small team.
Teams access the competition home base
Registered participants receive case context, resources, timeline, deliverable expectations, and instructions through CapSource.
Paier introduces the challenge
The kickoff helps students understand the company, problem, goals, constraints, and what strong recommendations should address.
Students ask questions
Teams use the Q&A period to clarify assumptions, understand Paier’s priorities, and sharpen their research direction.
Teams use office hours
Optional office hours give motivated teams a chance to get closer to the problem and improve the quality of their final work.
Teams submit an executive pre-read
Written submissions are reviewed to identify finalist teams and prepare for live presentations.
Finalists present to Paier and judges
Selected teams present live, judges evaluate the work, and winners are recognized after scoring is finalized.
Fall 2026 Timeline
Key dates for students, faculty, and teams
These dates are designed to give schools enough time to recruit teams and give students enough time to understand the case, ask better questions, use office hours, and prepare serious recommendations.
School and Team Recruitment
Faculty, clubs, centers, and students register teams and begin organizing participation.
Case Preview Released
Registered participants receive early orientation materials and begin preparing for the full kickoff.
Kickoff Webinar and Full Case Launch
Paier introduces the challenge, context, goals, and expectations for student teams.
Live Q&A Webinar
Teams ask questions after reviewing the case and beginning their research.
Optional Office Hours
Teams can book time to pressure-test assumptions, improve their thinking, and prepare stronger submissions.
Executive Pre-Read Due
Teams submit their written executive memo, deck, or required deliverable for review.
Finalists Notified
Selected teams are invited to prepare for live finalist presentations.
Final Presentations
Finalists present to Paier and judges. Winners are recognized after scoring is finalized.
What Students Will Produce
Professional work product for a real Industry Partner.
Teams will produce strategy work that is useful to Paier and valuable for students to reference in resumes, portfolios, and interviews.
Target customer analysis
Identify promising customer segments, business contexts, user profiles, and adoption triggers.
Messaging and positioning
Recommend clearer ways to communicate Paier’s value proposition to different buyer and user audiences.
Growth and acquisition ideas
Explore outreach, partnership, channel, referral, community, and adoption strategies.
Market research findings
Analyze business pain points, competitive dynamics, workflow challenges, objections, and adoption barriers.
90 to 180 day roadmap
Recommend practical next steps Paier can consider after reviewing student findings.
Executive pre-read and presentation
Submit a written pre-read and, if selected, present live to Paier and the judging group.
Competition Home Base
Students and faculty get one organized place to manage the experience.
CapSource keeps the competition structured so participants do not have to chase scattered emails, files, links, and deadlines. Students use the platform to understand the case, access resources, track milestones, coordinate team work, submit deliverables, and capture the experience for career use.
Timeline and action items
Resources and files
Team collaboration
Deliverable submissions
Feedback and outcomes
Career and Academic Value
This is the kind of experience students can reference later.
The competition gives students a concrete story: a real company, a real AI challenge, real deadlines, a written deliverable, and the chance to communicate recommendations to real decision-makers.
Resume experience
Students can describe the competition as consulting, strategy, market research, product, entrepreneurship, analytics, or project management experience.
Interview stories
Students can discuss teamwork, ambiguity, stakeholder communication, AI-era judgment, deadlines, research, and recommendation development.
LinkedIn and portfolio value
Students can share their role, learning, deliverables, finalist recognition, and skills practiced.
Faculty outcomes
Educators can point to a clear applied learning activity tied to student work, reflection, collaboration, and professional communication.
Program visibility
Schools can promote participation, finalists, winners, student reflections, and career-connected learning stories.
Future opportunities
Strong student engagement may support mentorship, references, internships, projects, interviews, or other follow-on conversations.
Responsible AI
Use AI as a tool, not a substitute for thinking.
Students may use modern tools to organize research, draft ideas, test assumptions, and improve communication. The strongest teams will be those that understand their recommendations, verify claims, explain tradeoffs, and defend their thinking during Q&A and final presentations.
Strong teams will:
- Use AI to accelerate research and organization
- Verify claims, sources, and assumptions
- Bring original analysis and judgment
- Understand every recommendation they present
- Prepare for live questions from real stakeholders
- Avoid generic or unsupported AI-generated submissions
Prior Competition Proof
Live case competitions create real work, real recognition, and real student stories.
Prior CapSource live case competitions have engaged students across schools in strategy, marketing, growth, technology, and business model challenges.
Viralish
Students developed a creator monetization program and planning tool concept for a Tennessee-based organization focused on helping content creators grow revenue.
WealthFluent
Students explored strategy for a financial platform designed to help individuals manage net worth, portfolios, and long-term wealth planning.
Reference-Worthy Experience
Students can use live case work to build resume bullets, LinkedIn stories, portfolio examples, and stronger interview responses.
Post University
Prior press highlighted MBA students competing and earning recognition through a virtual case competition experience.
Oregon Tech
Prior coverage highlighted a student business team winning an international competition by developing business strategy for a fast-growing company.
Baker College
Prior coverage highlighted business students taking first place in an international business contest through a live case-style experience.
Faculty Recruitment Kit
Make it easy to invite students.
CapSource can help faculty and program leaders promote the competition to students quickly with copy, timeline language, registration instructions, and classroom-ready positioning.
Class announcement
A short message faculty can send to students explaining the opportunity, value, timeline, and registration path.
Syllabus or LMS blurb
Position the competition as an optional applied learning activity, extra credit opportunity, or course-connected experience.
Student checklist
Help teams understand how to register, form teams, attend sessions, use office hours, and submit deliverables.
Club outreach copy
Invite consulting clubs, entrepreneurship clubs, business fraternities, honor societies, and career communities to participate.
Program leader brief
Explain how the competition supports experiential learning, career readiness, AI literacy, and employer engagement.
Launch support
Use CapSource to answer questions, support registration, and help schools organize teams before the case launch.
Pricing and Registration
Simple ways for students, teams, classes, and clubs to participate.
Register independently, enroll a full class or club, or use the competition as a pilot for broader applied learning adoption at your school.
Student or Small Team
$50
Per student
- Best for independent student registration
- Access to the case materials and platform
- Participation in the five-week virtual competition
- Eligibility for finalist presentations and recognition
Class, Club, or Cohort
$500
Unlimited student enrollment
- Best for faculty, courses, clubs, centers, and schools
- Invite a full class, cohort, or student organization
- Use the competition as an assignment or enrichment activity
- Low-cost way to offer real-world learning at scale
School Platform Pilot
Talk to CapSource
For broader adoption conversations
- Use the competition to evaluate the CapSource platform
- Discuss projects, cases, mentoring, and workforce pathways
- Plan student, faculty, and partner rollout options
- Explore custom support for your school or center
FAQ
Common questions from educators, program leaders, and students.
Use these answers to understand participation, registration, timeline, deliverables, AI use, and school enrollment options.
Who can participate?
Undergraduate and graduate students may participate. Students may register independently, as a team, or through a faculty-led class, club, center, or cohort.
Can faculty enroll a whole class?
Yes. Faculty and program leaders can use the $500 unlimited enrollment option for a course, club, student organization, center, or cohort.
Do students need prior AI or startup experience?
No. Students should be curious, organized, collaborative, and ready to research, communicate, and work professionally.
What will students submit?
Teams submit a written executive pre-read, memo, deck, or required deliverable. Finalist teams also present live to Paier and judges.
Can this be used as a class assignment?
Yes. Faculty can use the competition as an applied assignment, extra credit opportunity, club activity, honors experience, or career readiness activity.
Can students use AI?
Yes, responsibly. AI may support research, organization, and communication, but teams must understand, verify, and defend their work.
Can this go on a resume?
Yes. This is a real-world consulting-style experience with a real Industry Partner, professional deliverables, deadlines, and stakeholder-facing communication.
How should schools recruit teams?
Use the faculty materials, promote the $500 unlimited enrollment option, invite relevant classes and clubs, and encourage teams to register before the case preview is released.
Start Recruiting Your Students
Bring the Paier AI strategy challenge to your class, club, or cohort this fall.
Give students a real Industry Partner challenge, structured support, professional deliverables, and a competition experience they can carry into resumes, interviews, portfolios, and future opportunities.