The 7th Annual Entrepreneurship at Kellogg and Grosse Point Search Partners ETA Case Competition

The 7th Annual Entrepreneurship at Kellogg and Grosse Point Search Partners ETA Case Competition will be held through mid-October with the final presentation on October 30th, 2026 at the 13th Annual Booth Kellogg ETA Conference in Chicago. 

The competition gives aspiring ETA entrepreneurs an opportunity to work in teams of 2-3 in a simulated marketplace environment with multiple buyers and multiple target companies based on real businesses. 

The finalists will present their analysis and recommendations to a panel of established search fund investors and company CEOs at the conference for a share of the $10,000 in total prize money.

The competition is open to MBA students from all schools!

Registration Coming Soon!

What is the structure and timing of the competition?

10/12 – Registration Open

10/14 – Access to Part A of the Case Available

10/16 – Deadline to Register

10/31 – Deadline for submission for Part A of the case

11/5 – Top 6 teams announced as Semi-Finalists and Part B of the case begins

11/14 – Deadline for submission for Part 2 of the case

11/17 – Top 2 teams are announced as Finalists

10/30 – Finalist presentations & winner selection occurs at the ETA conference (90 minutes total)

  • Each team has 15 minutes to present & 10 minutes of Q&A (25 minutes each)  

  • Judges deliberate (5 minutes)  

  • Winning team is announced (5 minutes)  

  • Authors discuss the case (30 minutes)  

Who is eligible?

  • Each team must have a minimum of 2 or a maximum of 3 members

  • All team members must be registered for the conference & be available to attend in person

  • If the members of your team are not registered for the conference by the submission deadline, your submission will be disqualified from advancing to the next round

  • At least one member of the team must be currently enrolled as an MBA student

  • All team members must be currently enrolled as undergraduate or graduate students

  • Anyone who is not currently enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student is ineligible to participate in the competition

  • The competition is open to students at any MBA program, not just Booth or Kellogg

If I cannot attend the conference in person, can I participate in the contest?

No. By submitting an application, all contestants are committing to attend the conference in person if they are selected as finalists.

What are the prizes?

  • Each of the four teams qualifying for the Semi-Finals, but not advancing to the Finals win gift cards worth $250.
  • The second-place team wins $1,500
  • The winning team wins $7,500

Is there a fee to participate?

There is no fee to participate in the contest, however, you must be registered to attend the conference to participate in the contest.

How do I register to participate in the competition?

Please have one member of your team submit an application for your entire team.  In this application, you will be asked to provide your team name along with the names, email addresses, and schools for each member of the team.

How do I register to participate in the competition? 

Please have one member of your team submit an application for your entire team using this link.  The person who submits the application for your team will be the team leader. All communications throughout the contest will be directed to your team leader who will be responsible for passing communications on to the rest of the team. When your team leader registers your team, they will be asked to provide the names, email addresses, schools, and degree programs (MBA, MS, etc.) for each member of the team. 

Once I register my team for the case competition, how do I provide a response to the case? 

After you register your team for the case competition, you, and all of your team members, will receive an email confirming your registration for the competition. This email will also include a unique link for your team to submit your response to the case after it becomes available. Please save this confirmation email. When the case is released, you will use that link to complete your initial submission and submit your response to the case. 

What is required for the initial submission?

The Initial submission will be a 5-slide presentation based on the case and the instructions provided along with the case. You will create a single presentation for your team based upon your team’s assessment of the case and submit one copy of this document for your entire team as your team’s initial submission.

What is required for the final presentation?

Semi-finalist teams will be provided with additional materials and instructions for creating your team’s final presentation.

How will the teams be evaluated?

Judges will take into consideration a number of factors including, but not limited to:

  • Thoroughness and accuracy of your analysis and recommendations

  • Clarity and brevity of your submissions and presentations

  • The realism and practicality of your answers given the constraints of the case

  • The quality and aesthetics of your presentation

  • Your ability to deliver your message in the final presentation and respond to Q&A’s

  • Your compliance with any page or time restrictions for your submissions or presentation

Where should I direct further questions about the competition?

For additional information, please contact ????????????????