Intercollegiate Case CompetitionsThe ACG Cup

The Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Cup is designed to give students from leading graduate programs across the country real world experience and invaluable insights into mergers and acquisitions, investment banking, financial advisory and private equity.  Each case study provides students with a unique opportunity to present valuation, capital markets and M&A strategic advice to a panel of seasoned M&A professionals from within the ACG community.  The competition is carried out through a series of intra-school and regional competitions, with regional winners awarded the prestigious ACG Cup title and cash awards.

How it works

The competition begins with on-campus informational sessions and culminates with ACG Cup competitions nation-wide:

  • Informational Sessions - from October to mid December of each year, schools are invited to participate and optional informational sessions are held at local universities and colleges.
  • On-Campus Competition - the specific date and time for on-campus competitions for each participating university (usually mid-January to early February) is communicated by the local ACG chapter.  The case study is released one-week prior to the on-campus event.  While the exact nature of the case will not be revealed until the case is released, the primary focus is a private equity scenario, drawing on skills related to investment banking and management strategy/consulting.  The winning team from each on-campus event goes on to compete in South Florida ACG Cup.  
  • The South Florida ACG Cup - winning on-campus teams from each university compete head-to-head in the South Florida ACG competition which takes place in mid-February to early March at a location selected by the local ACG Chapter.  As in the on-campus competition, the Cup case is released one-week prior to the competition.  Although the exact nature of the case will not be revealed in advance, The Cup generally builds on the information provided in the on-campus competitions.  A panel of judges representing private equity and investment banking professionals from the region will determine the winning team.

Who can compete

Teams of no more than four students are eligible to compete:

  • Open to all business majors with a primary focus on graduate students specializing in finance

Key Takeaways

Participating in the ACG Cup provides students with the unparalleled opportunity to:

  • interact and network with leading finance professionals and organizations
  • gain insight into the inner workings of corporate finance through a variety of transaction perspectives
  • meet and develop relationships with potential employers, team members and mentors
  • experience the opportunity to apply critical academic skills to a highly realistic M&A case study
  • enhance and polish presentation, team-building and networking capabilities
  • win meaningful cash rewards

Contact Information

For more information, please visit the ACG website at: www.acg.org

To learn more about the ACG Cup, please contact:

Kevin Gordon
Phone: 561-362-4199 ext 301
Email: kgordon@catalystfinancial.com

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