Celebrating Student Innovation: Fall 2025 Tallo Live Case Competition Recap

The Fall 2025 Tallo Live Case Competition, powered by CapSource, showcased what’s possible when students, educators, and industry come together around a real-world challenge. CapSource and Tallo share a mission to equip students for career success, so partnering on this competition was a natural fit. CapSource specializes in connecting students with real industry projects and challenges, while Tallo’s platform is built to guide young people “from curiosity to confident action” in their career journeys. This shared vision set the stage for a fun, high-energy competition that not only produced amazing student work, but also furthered our joint goal of supporting career exploration and workforce development for the next generation.

Real-World Challenges, Real Skills Development

Unlike hypothetical case studies, this live competition gave students a real business challenge to solve… in real time, with a real company. Over a whirlwind five-week sprint, student teams from multiple universities rolled up their sleeves to reimagine Tallo’s early-career user experience. They weren’t just competing; they were acting as consultants to an actual client, with real stakes and outcomes on the line. This sense of authenticity supercharged the learning experience. As Jordan Levy (CapSource’s founder) noted during kickoff, projects like this demand that students apply transferable soft skills at every turn: “you’re going to be communicating, thinking critically, working as teams, working with leaders… engaging with intercultural fluency and professional aptitude”. Indeed, throughout the week teams practiced communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and design thinking as they researched, ideated, and iterated on their solutions.

Beyond the technical ideas they developed, students gained invaluable experience in project management and teamwork. Many were juggling this competition alongside classes and other commitments, a crash course in time management and creative collaboration under pressure. It was inspiring to see participants from different backgrounds come together, leverage each other’s strengths, and push through ambiguity to deliver results. By the end, every student walked away with résumé-worthy experience solving a complex problem for an actual company, exactly the kind of hands-on learning that builds confidence and career readiness. The competition was, in effect, a microcosm of the modern workplace: cross-functional teams, a tight deadline, and a need for innovative thinking. It’s no surprise that students reported developing skills in communication, teamwork, problem solving, and adaptability, which will serve them well in internships and jobs to come.

Reimagining Tallo’s Early Career Experience… Student Solutions Shine!

The core challenge posed to students was ambitious: “Reimagine the early career user experience on Tallo’s platform.” Tallo’s online platform already connects students (ages 13–30) with a wealth of opportunities, from thousands of tailored scholarships to over half a million internships and entry-level jobs, and provides tools like digital portfolios and career path data. But the company wanted fresh ideas to better engage their youngest users (the “Early Explorers,” typically high schoolers) who might feel overwhelmed when planning their futures. In response, student teams delivered in spades, proposing creative, polished solutions grounded in research and user empathy. Final submissions included not only written strategy memos and slide decks, but also high-fidelity UX prototypes and demo videos, an impressive feat after just a week of work!

Common themes emerged across the top-performing teams. A big one was gamification: students recognized that incorporating game-like elements could make career exploration more fun and motivating for teens. For example, one winning team from Shepherd University envisioned a “gamified engagement hub” where users earn points, badges, and rewards as they progress through a career discovery journey. In their prototype, a new user would see a dynamic progress dashboard and collect achievement badges for milestones like completing an interest assessment or engaging with Tallo’s Community. The idea is to tap into students’ competitive spirit and sense of accomplishment, much like Duolingo or Khan Academy does, thereby encouraging frequent return visits and sustained engagement. This team even built an interactive mobile-app mockup to demonstrate how a points leaderboard and streak counter could be integrated, drawing praise from Tallo’s judges for their ingenuity (they taught themselves a no-code app builder and produced a working demo in days!). “What a great example of how to use AI to bring your ideas to life. What a new world,” Allison Danielsen, CEO of Tallo, marveled seeing the app in action.

Another standout theme was meeting students where they are, by borrowing ideas from the social apps and media that Gen Z loves. Several teams suggested adding a short-form video feed within Tallo, think a career-oriented TikTok feed. One team’s proposal, aptly named “Tallo Sparks,” would embed quick-hit videos (e.g. “Day in the Life” career vignettes, skill tips, challenges) directly into Tallo’s mobile app. This would make exploring careers bite-sized, visual, and mobile-friendly, aligning with the content formats that teens consume daily. As their research cited, 67% of U.S. teens use TikTok daily, so bringing that style of content into Tallo could make career discovery feel “relevant, social, and approachable.” Teams paired these ideas with AI-driven personalization, for instance, AI recommendation engines to tailor content and career suggestions to each user’s interests (a “For You” page for careers). 

Student teams also tackled the more structural aspects of Tallo’s user journey. One insightful proposal focused on simplifying the onboarding and assessment process for new high school users. Instead of confronting 13–18 year-olds with a long 60-question career assessment right after sign-up (which might be overwhelming and lead to drop-off), the team suggested embedding a shorter, friendlier quiz into account creation. Their redesign would ask 25-30 simple questions, use those to immediately suggest some career paths of interest, and let users “pause and return” if needed, ensuring the first impression of Tallo is welcoming rather than intimidating. In addition, they proposed introducing verified profiles (using school ID or parent verification for minors) to enhance trust and safety on the platform. This would allow students to know if someone messaging them is a real mentor or peer, and it creates a safer community space, addressing a real concern for younger users online.

To drive ongoing engagement, teams weren’t afraid to think outside the box. Ideas ranged from launching a “Tallo Explorer Scholarships” program (Tallo-funded scholarships to reward active users), to creating an “Early Explorer National Cup” a friendly nationwide competition where schools compete on student engagement metrics, earning recognition or prizes. Several groups emphasized forging deeper school partnerships: for example, deploying Tallo Campus Reps to high schools and introducing digital reward dashboards that let teachers track their students’ progress on Tallo. Physical incentives (like Tallo swag for milestones) and public recognition at school could provide extra motivation for students to log in and explore careers. The underlying goal is to build positive feedback loops: as students engage with Tallo, they should see tangible benefits (points, rewards, new connections, or actionable feedback) that encourage them to keep coming back. 

Across the board, the student presentations were remarkably polished. In the final showcase, teams delivered with the poise of young professionals, speaking confidently to their research, walking through user flow diagrams and UI mockups, and even fielding Q&A from Tallo’s leadership. It was easy to forget these were undergrads presenting ideas developed in just five weeks! The judges from Tallo were wowed not only by the creativity of the features and designs (many of which aligned with ideas their own team had been considering), but also by the level of professionalism in how students communicated their strategies. Preparing strong written memos and visual pitch decks on such a short timeline, and incorporating user insights, design principles, and business rationale, is no small feat. The fact that students did this while engaging directly with a real industry partner made it even more impactful. As one faculty advisor put it, experiences like this “prepare students in ways a classroom alone simply can’t, by forcing them to apply their skills in a live-fire scenario with an authentic problem to solve.”

What Participants Are Saying (Industry & Educator Perspectives)

To underscore the value of this live case experience, it’s worth hearing from those who were directly involved. Tallo’s leadership was thrilled with the outcome and the energy the students brought. Amy Barnes, Sr. Manager of Experiential Learning Programs at Tallo, reflected on the event:

“The Live Case Competition was a super cool experience! So many wonderful ideas. I kept finding myself thinking ‘I want to do that idea… and that idea… AND THAT IDEA! I want to do all of them… and… I want to hire all of them. It was really fun!’” — Amy Barnes, Tallo Experiential Learning Programs Manager

From the educator’s perspective, the competition proved to be an enriching extension of the classroom. William Boatright, a Business Administration faculty member at Lindsey Wilson University, had his students participate and saw tremendous benefits:

“I really liked the opportunity y’all gave our students through this live case competition experience! I would jump at the opportunity to do this again in any of my other classes. It was so impactful for the students to work on something real and make a real impact! My students and I would do this again in a heartbeat! Thank you all so much!” — William Boatright, Instructor of Business Administration, Lindsey Wilson University

And we can’t forget the students themselves, they are the stars of this story. Many described the competition as an eye-opening glimpse into real-world problem solving, and a chance to explore their career interests in a hands-on way. Abby Van Meter, a member of the winning team from Shepherd University, will be sharing her reflections as well. It’s clear from all the feedback that experiences like this make a lasting impact. Students walk away not only with new portfolio pieces and perhaps even LinkedIn connections at Tallo, but also with a stronger sense of confidence in their abilities. As Amy’s quote above illustrates, Tallo was equally impressed, and even spotted talent they’d love to hire down the line.

Join Us for Future Live Case Competitions!

The Fall 2025 Tallo Live Case Competition was a resounding success! Congratulations to all the student teams, faculty mentors, and Tallo experts who made it possible. At CapSource, we’re passionate about scaling these win-win collaborations between academia and industry. When students get to solve real problems for real companies, amazing things happen: ideas spark, skills grow, and careers launch. We’re already excited for the next live case competition (March 13th through April 20th 2026) on the horizon, and we want you to be a part of it!

• Educators: Imagine energizing your curriculum with an experiential project that engages students like never before. Live cases can be integrated into a course or offered as co-curricular challenges. Either way, your students gain practical experience and a chance to shine. If you want your class to be our next winning team, let’s talk!

• Companies and Organizations: Looking to tap into fresh perspectives and emerging talent? Partner with us on a live case competition. It’s a fantastic way to crowdsource innovative solutions to a problem your business cares about, while also building your brand on campus. You might just discover your next intern or potential future hire (as Tallo did) from the motivated students who participate.

• Students: Keep an eye out for upcoming competitions and throw your hat in the ring! There’s no better way to explore an industry, build your resume, and meet mentors than by working on a real project. Plus, it’s a blast. You’ll make new friends and maybe even win some prizes (not to mention bragging rights for your school).

Interested in getting involved? Head to our website to learn more about CapSource’s programs and live case competitions, or schedule a demo to see how our platform connects classrooms with companies. We’d love to help make experiences like the Tallo case competition a highlight of your academic or talent development program.

The Fall 2025 Tallo Live Case Comp showed what’s possible when we bridge the gap between the classroom and the working world. Students tackled a genuine business challenge with passion, skill, and creativity, and in return Tallo gained a trove of fresh ideas to consider. It’s the definition of a win-win. We’re proud to have facilitated this collaboration and can’t wait to do it again. Thank you to everyone who participated, and here’s to the next cohort of innovators in our upcoming competitions! 🎉