​ About the Stock Pitch Challenge

The Stock Pitch Challenge is a free event that invites undergraduate students to submit stock pitches for a chance to win $6,000 in cash prizes. Teams of 2–4 students will undergo a screening round, with 25 finalists presenting to a panel of industry professionals at UC Irvine's Paul Merage School of Business. The event features a keynote speaker, catered meals, and networking opportunities. Judges will award prizes to the top 3 teams. 

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Competition Timeline Overview

• Round 1 submission deadline on March 28st, 2025​​
• 25 finalist teams are announced on April 4th, 2025
• Final round prompt to be distributed on April 18th, 2025
• The final round will take place at UC Irvine on April 26th, 2025

Round 1 Submission Guidelines

• One team member should email the team's submission to [email protected] by 11:59pm on March 28st, 2025
• Items to include in submission email:
  • Team name and list of team members (first name, last name, email email)
  • A ​10-minute video recording of your team presenting your stock pitch (upload to your own google drive then share with us via link)
  • A PowerPoint (.pptx) file of your presentation
  • Any Excel models (.xls*) used to value your company
  • Subject: “Irvine ITG SPC First Round Submission”
• Here are some templates for your reference:​​
  • ​UnitedHealthcare Stock Pitch
  • UnitedHealthcare Discounted Cash Flow Model
  • UnitedHealthcare Public Comps Model
  • UnitedHealthcare M&A Comps Model
  • UnitedHealthcare Dividend Discount Model
• ​​Here is the rubric we will use to grade your submissions (link) 

Final Round Information

• Competing teams will be notified if they have made it to the final round by April 4th at 11:59 pm, the top 25 teams will be invited
• Teams that are invited to the final round will be given a secondary prompt to build on their stock pitch
• During the final round, competitors will present their pitch in person at the UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business, with 10 minutes to present and 5 minutes of Q&A

Contact ITG with any questions: ​[email protected]

​​Stock Selection Criteria

1. Market capitalization greater than $2B & 3-month trading volume greater than 200,000
2. Revenue growth exceeding 3-4% for the last 2 years
3. Earnings growth in the last 2 years
4. Positive earnings surprise sometime within the past 3 quarters

​​Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• Q: Is there a maximum number of slides or appendix slides that can be included in the deck?
  • A. There is no maximum number of slides or appendix slides that can be included, so long as the content the team intends to present fits within the 10 minute limit.
• Q: What kind of stock can I choose to pitch?
  • A: Any that fits within the stock selection criteria listed on this page.
• Q: Will there be a travel stipend provided if I make it to the final round but am not based in the Irvine area? 
  • A: We do not guarantee a travel stipend, however, in some cases, we may have funds set aside for teams traveling from far to join us at the final round, should you be invited to the final round, please reach out to [email protected] to see what we have available at that time.
• Q: Is there a rubric for the first round submission? 
  • A: Yes, we will be uploading the rubric to this website in the coming days. 
• Q: Is the event open to graduate students? 
  • A: No, this event is only for undergraduate students. 

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