Important Dates

Monday, February 2: Case Competition Opens

• Student teams can access the case study to learn more about the problems at Impact Hub. They can also listen to the podcast series about the Impact Hub.
  • E1: Overview of Impact Hub Houston with Grace Rodriquez
  • E2: Deep Dive into Mentoring Program with Maria Burgos
  • E3: Deep Dive into Accelerator Programs with Michelle Avalos
  • E4: Deep Dive into Event Management with Tracie Jae

Thursday, February 26: Mentoring Session #1

• Student teams will have the opportunity to discuss the progress of their solution with staff from the Impact Hub and mentors.
• Snacks and drinks will be provided.
• Time: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Room: CBB 524
• Participants are required to attend at least one mentoring session.

Monday, March 2: Mentoring Session #2

• Student teams will have the opportunity to discuss the progress of their solution with staff from the Impact Hub and mentors.
• Snacks and drinks will be provided.
• Time: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Room: CBB 330/328
• Participants are required to attend at least one mentoring session.

Friday, March 6: Applications Due at Midnight

• Executive summaries (one page) are due. Only one application per team is needed.
• Check out an example of an executive summary.
• Submit your application

Thursday, March 12: Finalists Selected

• Finalists will be notified and invited to present their solutions in the final round on Thursday, April 2nd.

Thursday, April 2: Final Round

• The final presentations will occur on Thursday, April 2nd time and location TBD. At the conclusion of team presentations, Impact Hub and Impact Competition leadership will address the presenting teams with feedback on their proposals and select winners. Make sure to include a budget proposal of how your team would implement your idea with up to $10,000 in seed money.
• Time: TBD
• Room: TBD

Competition Format

This case competition consists of 2 rounds. The 1st round is a one-page PDF Executive Summary submission. Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of judges, ranked, and the top teams will advance. 1st Round submissions are due Friday, March 6th.

Prize and Seed Money

The top 3 teams from the final round will receive a financial award to be distributed equally among team members.

• 1st Place: $6,000 in team prize money
• Plus, up to $10,000 to be distributed directly to Impact Hub
• 2nd Place: $1,000 in team prize money
• 3rd Place: $500 in team prize money

Judging Criteria

Judges will consider the following criteria:

• Did the team provide a unique and innovative solution and approach to solving the problem?
• Did the team demonstrate a thorough understanding of the needs of the community and the non-profit’s role?
• Did the proposed solution address requirements defined in the case?
• Did the presentation include a defined and realistic timeline for project implementation?
• Did the proposed solution account for the capacity limitations of the non-profit partner?
• Did the team provide a detailed budget that accurately reflects their proposed solution?
• Is the proposed solution a feasible option for the student team to help implement?
• Was the presentation structured with a clear flow of information that effectively presented the solution?
• Was it evident that all team members were adequately knowledgeable on the different facets of the presented solution?
• Does the team provide a replicable or scalable plan/proposal which would allow their idea to be implemented across other chapters of the non-profit or a similar non-profit?

Case Challenge and Structure

Your team must identify an idea/solution that will address one or more of the overarching problems Impact Hub faces!

How

Create an idea/solution and develop the following to communicate your idea:

• Create a one-page Executive Summary PDF. The Executive Summary should include:
  • An overview of your idea solution
  • An outline of your budget and how you plan to utilize the seed money (up to $10,000)

This case competition consists of 2 rounds. The 1st round is a one-page PDF Executive Summary submission. (Check out an example of an executive summary here). Only one submission per team is needed. Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of judges, ranked, and the top teams will advance to the finals. 1st Round submissions are due Friday, March 6 at midnight and you can submit your application here.

The top teams will be notified via email by Thursday, March 12 and invited to participate in the final round. The team captain should reply to the email and indicate the team’s acceptance to the final round.

Failure to accept will forfeit the team’s position and another team will be invited to advance. Please note if you do not receive an initial invitation your team may still be selected from a waitlist.

Final Presentation Directions

Teams selected to participate in the final round should:

• Prepare a 15-minute presentation proposing your solution using PowerPoint, Canva, or Google Slides. You can use a USB or the internet to pull up your slides. Multiple options are suggested in case of technological issues.
• Be sure to include an implementation timeline. Note, you can suggest up to a yearly timeline but no longer. They can also be shorter!
• Provide a separate, detailed budget document describing your allocation of the $10,000.
• Prepare for Q&A following your presentation.
• Check out an example of slides and a budget here.

Resources

The Impact Competition maintains an overarching goal of inspiring the next generation of students to give back to their community. They are a nonprofit group who works with universities across the nation to help solve problems local nonprofits face. For this year’s event (Spring 2026), the Impact Competition will partner with Impact Hub. The goal is to provide Impact Hub with sustainable, impactful ideas that will benefit the stated needs of the organization. Not only will the winning team receive a financial prize for creating an innovative solution, Impact Hub will also be given the funds to implement the idea presented.

Learn more about the Impact Competition Foundation on their website: https://impactcompetition.org/

Learn more about Impact Hub and their programs on their website: https://houston.impacthub.net