Challenge accepted – FS students at AKB Business Championship

Six Frankfurt School students participated in this year’s AKB Business Championship. The event took place from 9 to 11 October and was hosted by the Arbeitskreis Börse (AKB) in Mannheim, the oldest financial association led by students in Germany. The students from Frankfurt School’s Master of Finance and Master in Management programmes – Ritesh Kumar, Julian Medert, Emir Mulalic, Yannik Saenger, Lukas Schnoell, and Xili Wang – competed against peers from nine other universities. They delved into four case studies with focus on innovation, strategy, sustainability and finance.

One of the challenges was effective teamwork under massive time pressure. All students only had three hours to solve complex cases. Despite only knowing each other for a few weeks, the Frankfurt School students’ diverse backgrounds enabled them to stand up to the high level of competition. After the intensive case work, they presented their solutions in a 15-minute pitch. Preparing the presentation while in parallel working on the cases and confidently delivering it required adaptability and strong communication skills.

“Participating in the AKB Business Champions Case Competition was an enriching experience that I’d recommend to anyone looking to gain more case experience and undergo a real stress test. In addition, it’s an excellent opportunity to meet new companies and universities. We are grateful to Bankakademie e. V. for sponsoring our participation.”
Julian Medert, Master in Management student at Frankfurt School.

Beyond the case challenges, the competition offered ample networking opportunities. Among others, AKB hosted a welcome dinner on the first day allowing all participating students to connect. Engaging with company representatives provided valuable industry insights and potential career opportunities.