Our journey at the Harvard Global Case Competition: a tale of growth, challenge, and triumph

The Global Case Competition at Harvard is the world's most prestigious student-organized case competition, with over 3,000 student participants from across the world. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity brings together the best students of economics and finance and allows them to build a unique network with students from all over the world and executives from world-leading institutions. Our team, Neha, Danielle, Aditya, and Selina from the Accounting and Financial Management program (AFM) at Waterloo's School of Accounting and Finance, had the privilege of competing and attending the Global Case Competition in Boston this April.

From the moment we decided to join the competition, we knew we were in for a challenge that would push us beyond our limits. The competition brought together the brightest students from the top universities across the world, with over 750 teams participating in the preliminary round of rigorous case-solving in mid-February. We were given 3 weeks to ultimately prepare and submit a pitch book to a panel of judges consisting of Harvard Business School professors and distinguished business executives from top consulting firms, private equity shops, and investment banks. 

The case allowed us to take an approach from the perspective of buy-side analysts to analyze whether IBM should do a strategic acquisition of Equinix or consider an alternative target in the digital infrastructure and cloud services sector. After conducting extensive industry research, we ultimately concluded that IBM should do a strategic acquisition of Digital Realty due to greater synergistic value. Our financial analysis, including the merger model, showed that Digital Realty was better positioned to enhance IBM’s cloud and hybrid cloud services. Additionally, Digital Realty was better aligned with IBM’s strategic goals than Equinix due to higher revenue growth potential driven by stronger integration capabilities, consolidation of facilities, and streamlining of processes.  

We were invited to attend the 9th Annual Gala at Harvard Business School during the last weekend of April. It was a full day of workshops, networking, and meeting so many talented students and esteemed professors. The first workshop was led by two esteemed judges with extensive experience in investment banking which educated students on career entry and exit paths in investment banking and M&A. This was followed by a venture capital workshop at Harvard Innovation Labs led by a senior advisor with experience in B2B and technology companies. We enjoyed exploring the Harvard campus and learned about Boston’s rich history as the home to the country’s oldest schools and universities. 

Overall, participating in the Harvard Global Case Competition was an incredible experience. We emerged more confident, more knowledgeable, and more prepared to tackle the challenges of the financial world. 

We are immensely grateful for the opportunity to build a unique network with students from all over the world and executives from world leading institutions, concluding our undergraduate experience in the best way possible!