2021 Global Case Challenge Winning Team and Recipient of $40,000 prize: The Dragons from Universidad San Francisco de Quito! The Dragons team is made up of four students with degrees in business administration and finance, marketing, and industrial engineering. The Dragons provided a solution to Virginia Tech Transportation Institute’s case and wowed the judges. Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) is a liberal-arts, private university located in Quito, Ecuador. It was the first totally private self-financed university in Ecuador and the first liberal-arts institution in the Andean region. It is ranked as the #1 university in Ecuador and #65 in Latin America by QS Latin America Rankings, 2021.
ABOUT: The Virginia Tech Global Case Challenge was held virtually for 2021 and offered elite student teams from around the globe the opportunity to present solutions to real world industry problems. Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center companies and stakeholders presented written details of their company’s challenge, to which students developed the best solution within a specified time frame.
Hosted by the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center (VTCRC) and Virginia Tech Outreach and International Affairs, the Global Case Challenge, held virtually for 2021, offers student teams from around the globe the opportunity to present solutions to real world industry problems. Companies from within the VTCRC and area stakeholders have presented written details of a challenge of opportunity within their organization or industry. Four cases have been selected for students to stive to develop the best solution by August 2, 2021. The student teams must develop research-driven, scalable solutions, which will have the potential to be implemented by each respective company. A finalist will be chosen from each case, and one overall winner will receive a $40,000 prize.
The 2021 Global Case Challenge runs in conjunction with VTCRC’s Game Changer Week, set for August 23-27, 2021. Game Changer Week will bring together a diverse group of industry disruptors. A variety of events will be held virtually and in person across the region, with many taking place at the research park. Attendees will receive access to events corresponding with tracks and have the opportunity to create connections with thought leaders, creators, and influencers along the way.