ACG Cup 2024 - Competition Details

Video captured and provided by Boldy Told Video, 2023.
 

Image  Looking for some FAQs about Cup and what the competition can mean for you? We've got some answers for you! Just click our FAQs button to the left to learn more.

Image December 8, 2023 - February 24, 2024   Image Reception, 2/23: Mercantile Bank Community Room 301 Leonard Street, NW Grand Rapids, MI Image Image Competition, 2/24: Seidman College of Business @ GVSU  50 Front Avenue, SW Grand Rapids, MI Image

IMPORTANT DATES: All times are Eastern Standard Time (EST) The 2024 ACG Cup Competition timeline is here! Every effort will be made to keep dates as they are; times may change slightly. Mark your calendar now! Image

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Learn more with our ACG Cup FAQs here! 

ACG Cup is an intercollegiate competition among business school students from colleges and universities across the nation. Retaining and recruiting talent in West Michigan is a major objective of the Cup competition for ACG's Western Michigan Chapter. During competition, students analyze complex business cases and present strategies involving merger and acquisition alternatives, valuation, capital markets, finance options, and corporate strategy. Student participants gain invaluable experience in a real-world context, receive feedback from leaders in the local business community, and create meaningful networks.

ACG Western Michigan is known for bringing together a robust and diverse group of students representing teams from around our state and the nation. For 2024, we invite teams from across the Midwest and beyond to compete in person at Grand Valley State University's Seidman College of Business. We'll also host a networking reception the evening before our competition so teams can make new connections to the West Michigan business community and                                                                                        judges taking part in ACG Cup.

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One Competition! The ACG Cup competition will be held as a single competition open to all students who are currently registered at least half-time at participating colleges and universities during the 2023 - 2024 academic year. Participants are generally finance, accounting, marketing, international business, general business, supply chain, operations, and management majors, and teams may be comprised a mix of undergraduate and graduate students, or teams may be comprised of solely undergraduate or solely graduate students. There will be no separate divisions for undergraduates and graduate students. 

Recent graduates: Teams may have no more than one member who has recently obtained their undergraduate degree from the same college/university. This means students who graduate with their undergraduate degrees in December 2023 may compete with classmates who are still enrolled at the time of the competition.

Competition Format: Our 2024 competition will only be held in person. 

Team Capacity: We once again have a 49-team capacity, so encourage your classmates to form teams of their own.

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Prizes: The winning team will take home a cash prize of $6,000 plus each team advancing to the Final Round will receive and invitation to have dinner with ACG Cup judges, company representatives, or sponsors. 

Team Size: Each team, regardless of makeup, must consist of at least three members and no more than five members. To be considered for the competition, teams must finalize team registration by 1:00 PM EST on Feburary 8, 2024. (See "The Rules" and "How to Register" sections for more detailed information on competition parameters.) Reach out to ACG Cup staff if your team has concerns with registration timing or team size; we are here to help you succeed!

The Case: The case study simulates a real-world business situation offering students a learning perspective that diverges from textbook examples. Faculty advisors are encouraged to provide guidance to students prior to the case being released to students, but after the case is released, professors are prohibited from offering advice, critiques, or detailed solutions after the case materials are distributed.

SAMPLE CASE ACCESS 
Sample Case for Student Review: See this past ACG Cup Case as an example to help your team understand the scope of work involved in the competition. This case was written by and is the property of ACG Western Michigan and contains no answers and is provided strictly for enhancing understanding of the competition.

Student Investment Clubs: Are you part of a student investment club and want someone to come and speak about ACG Cup? Contact ACG Cup Coordinator at hedwards@acg.org and we'll be sure to put your club in contact with our liaisons.

 

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We'll provide professors with Cup Updates -- newsletters that will let you know about how the competition is shaping up -- throughout the competition season as details are cemented and confirmed. Cup Updates will be emailed to professors and will be available here.
 

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PARTICIPANT BENEFITS:

• Cash prizes!**
  • The winning team will receive a $6,000 cash prize; and
  • Each team advancing to the Final Round (including the winning team) will receive an invitation to have dinner with ACG Cup judges, company representatives, or competition sponsors.
• Exposure to the mergers and acquisitions industry across Michigan and the Midwest
• Participation in Career Conversations with leading companies at our Networking Reception
• Understanding of Michigan's diverse finance industries
• Opportunity to network with competition judges and representatives from the business community
• Opportunity to share a resume via our website
• Opportunity to gain valuable, real-life skills in mergers and acquisitions: This kind of exposure and training in M&A is not found anywhere else!

**Participation in the competition, including eligibility and payment of any cash prize, is subject to all applicable laws, rules, and regulations of all relevant jurisdictions.

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All teams must prepare the following for competition day (February 24):

1. Hard copy handouts detailing each team's case evaluation. Each team must provide copies of presentation materials to judges in their competition groups. Teams are encouraged to have 12-15 copies of materials for use in Round One and the Final Round, if applicable.
2. All materials must be submitted in the English language.
3. All team members must take part in the presentation.
4. Teams must have team names; names may NOT reference the students' school/university in any way, formal or informal. Teams not adhering to this requirement will be excluded from competition and no refunds will be issued. 
5. Teams must appoint a Team Captain for ease of communication. The Team Captain will receive communication regarding submittal of competition materials. The Team Captain will also be responsible for the team's entry fee if a main contact (professor/instructor) is not identified on the team's registration form.
6. Team attire shall consist of business wear, and shall NOT showcase any particular college/university affiliation (e.g., necktie, scarf, lapel pin, etc.) 

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Registration for the ACG Cup 2024 Competition is CLOSED. 
ACG Western Michigan staff will confirm each registration and deliver next steps to each team.

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• The cost to participate in the 2024 competition is $125 per team. ACG Staff will invoice the individual identified as the team's main contact or professor/advisor indicated on the registration form. Teams will be invoiced after team registration closes on February 8; prompt payment is appreciated. ACG Staff has the ability to bundle team registration fees and invoice your department or liaison directly.

• Each institution is limited to sending five (5) teams per division to the ACG Cup competition.

• Student competitors, professors, or student services associates may register teams. ACG Staff can assist if questions arise.

• Each College/University is encouraged to assign a faculty member to work with the ACG Cup liaison and the appropriate student organizations within their institution. A student representative may also act a Cup competition contact and assist in disseminating information. 

  • E-mail ACG Staff to share your contact information and to receive information regarding ACG Cup liaisons to your institution.

• Promote the competition to encourage student participation. ACG Staff will share promotional language for email and social media as it becomes available.

• Provide or facilitate training and mentoring for the student teams.

• Distribute information on forming teams and working the case study.

• Encourage teams to review on-demand materials in our ACG Cup Resource Library.

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ACG Western Michigan has developed a system of liaisons to assist you and your students in awareness and promotion of the Cup competition. Our team of liaisons is headed by a past Cup competitor who understands all facets of the competition and is ready to help answer your questions, deliver important information for your teams, and guide you through the process. Liaisons listed below are tasked with outreach to the college and universities we see most years. They may or may not be alumni of those institutions, but they've pledged to help you and your students learn about the competition. Learn more about our 2024 Cup liaisons below and reach out if you'd like a liaison to visit your classroom or student investment club.

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Finance Feud is a fundraising event to support ACG Cup. Held in the autumn preceding the Cup competition, Finance Feud presents a fun way for teams in business and related industries to try to one-up each other in a friendly trivia competition. This fun, high-energy trivia night pits teams from accounting and law firms as well as corporations and universities against one another. The winning team takes home the trophy and bragging rights for the next year.  

                                                             Read on for the results of the 2023 Finance Feud!
 

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This year's Finance Feud teams participated from the West Michigan firms and organizations listed below. Find out more about each of them now.

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Our Valuation Seminar is now our ACG Cup RESOURCE LIBRARY!
Historically, our annual Valuation Seminar has offered an introduction to M&A from different perspectives. Seminar lesson focus on theoretical and technical approaches to valuation, as well as qualitative factors that influence the value of a company. Valuation Seminar materials have proven instrumental in understanding the ins and outs of M&A from different perspectives.

For the past three years, we've held our Valuation Seminar on virtual platforms the same day the competition case is released. In 2024, we're giving you that Friday back to get to work on your case and have the ability to review Valuation Seminar materials on your own schedule. We're offering all elements of our popular Valuation Seminar session in an on-demand format only. Once your team registers, you'll receive access to our complete library, which contains videos on M&A methodologies, private equity lessons, personal branding/networking tips, and -- NEW this year -- presentation basics.

These on-demand videos are meant to help you and your team work through different scenarios and put together a professional presentation with confidence. ACG Cup participants -- team members and their professors alike -- are encouraged to view the materials in our Resource Library as soon as your team registration is complete. 

Want to know more about why you should take advantage of our Resource Library materials? Our Valuation Seminar leads are here to answer any questions you might have. 
 

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REGISTRATION IS OPEN for our popular Career Conversations + Networking Reception!!
All registered teams and their professors/advisors are invited to join us for a pre-event networking reception just north of downtown Grand Rapids on Friday, February 23, 2024. This reception will provide access to a wide array of business professionals in the West Michigan region and beyond who are eager to make connections with new talent.

Attendance will ensure you meet competition judges, advisors, company representatives, ACG Western Michigan Board and Cup Committee members, and generally mix and mingle among ACG Cup competitors. Individuals from Cup teams and professors are encouraged to attend but must register at NO CHARGE. Once at the registration site, you can choose your complimentary ticket type (student/professor) and you'll receive a confirmation email with event details. You don't want to miss this!

Image Friday, February 23, 2024 4:30 PM - 7:00 PM Appetizers, drinks, NETWORKING   Image Mercantile Bank's Community Room  301 Leonard Street, NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504

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Need to know more about how it'll work? Learn more by clicking the icon below.   Image

During Career Conversations, student competitors meet one-on-one with company leads and decision makers looking for new talent. This year we're bringing back Career Conversations in an informal and relaxed format that will allow for face-to-face networking between ACG Cup participants and members of our business community. Competitors will be able to meet and greet judges, advisors, company representatives, and others at our Friday evening reception on February 23. Our Networking Reception will be held just north of downtown Grand Rapids in Mercantile Bank's Community Room. (Mercantile Bank's address is 301 Leonard Street, NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504.) Attendance is free for ACG Cup competitors, their professors, our volunteer judges, and company representatives. Watch for our registration link for this must-attend event!    FOR COMPETITORS Cup competitors have the opportunity to connect and network with representatives from Michigan companies, as well as competition judges, who represent many prestigious local and regional firms. ACG Western Michigan members are actively looking for graduate and undergraduate students with a finesse for finance who possess the skills and qualities that enable them to become experts in corporate finance, investment banking, financial advisory and private equity. Career Conversations connects participants with employers in the greater West Michigan region. Every year, student competitors are hired as a direct result of participating in this competition. FOR PARTICIPATING BUSINESS COMMUNITY MEMBERS Career Conversations presents an opportunity for both ACG members and sponsors to create awareness about the deal making community and to expose students to potential career openings in this field. Career Conversations represents a chance for participants to GET CONNECTED with high-profile local firms.  COMPANY PARTICIPATION INTEREST Is your company or firm interested in attending our Career Conversations + Networking Reception to meet the next generation of M&A talent? Reserve your spot through this form now!

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Our list of participating companies and firms that competitors will meet at our Networking Reception is taking shape! Click our "Meet the Firms" button 
to see our Career Conversations gallery and check out any job opportunities that might await you!
MEET THE FIRMS NOW

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Gunther Brinkman,
The Baking Company, LLC
Co-Chair / Liaison Lead

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Ashley Gray,
Case Writing Team

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Jake 
Helwick
Adamy Valuation
Chair

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Heather Edwards,
ACG Western Michigan
ACG Cup Director