Buyout Battleground
SP Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai
Buyout Battleground: Stages and Timelines
Quiz Round
This round serves as a screening stage to test participants’ foundational knowledge of finance. Only the team leaders will attempt a time-bound multiple-choice quiz covering concepts from corporate finance, accounting, economics and markets.
Guidelines for Round:
- Team Leaders are required to respond to a set of 20 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) pertaining to finance within a designated 15-minute time window.
- Evaluation will be based on the accuracy of participants' answers and the speed with which they complete the quiz.
- There will be no negative marking in this round.
- Participants are obliged to ensure the timely completion of the quiz within the established time constraints.
Case Submission
Teams will identify a publicly traded small or mid-cap company listed on NSE/BSE and develop a detailed leveraged buy-out (LBO) proposal. This round emphasizes financial analysis, valuation rigor, and a strong investment thesis. Each team must submit a PDF report (maximum 5 pages, excluding references, index, and introduction) and a detailed Excel-based LBO model.
The submission should include a clear industry- and company-level investment rationale, concise valuation using intrinsic cash flows and peer benchmarking, a defined PE/VC-style exit strategy, and a structured LBO model with sources and uses, 5-year projections, debt schedule, key return metrics (IRR, MoIC), and sensitivity analysis. Evaluation will focus on problem framing, analytical rigor, valuation quality, insightfulness, risk assessment, and overall presentation quality.
REFER TO THE GUIDELINES FOR FURTHER DETAILS
Final Round: Virtual Presentations
Showcase your deal expertise, strategic acumen, and presentation mastery before an expert panel. The top 6 teams from Round 1 qualify for this final stage, formal notification will be via email and Unstop. Teams must prepare a comprehensive slide deck covering all valuation nuances, deal structure, and investment rationale.
A personalised X-factor scenario will be introduced for each case, a few days before submission, testing your ability to adapt your thesis under changing market conditions or company-specific challenges. Each team receives a designated time slot to present and defend their proposal against probing questions from industry practitioners. Evaluation focuses on deal knowledge and defensive capability, presentation clarity, adaptability to the X-factor, articulation of value creation strategy, and composure.
REFER TO THE GUIDELINES FOR FURTHER DETAILS
All that you need to know about Buyout Battleground
BUYOUT BATTLEGROUND, hosted by the Investing Club of S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai, is a premier national-level case competition designed to test participants' expertise in private equity transactions, valuation methodology, and strategic deal-making.
- The competition challenges teams to identify, analyse, and develop a comprehensive leveraged buy-out (LBO) proposal for a publicly-traded small or mid-cap company, demonstrating their understanding of debt structuring, enterprise valuation, exit strategy formulation, and financial modelling under realistic constraints.
- Participants will gain hands-on exposure to professional-grade deal analysis, develop rigorous financial models grounded in intrinsic cash flows and peer benchmarking, and present compelling investment theses under scrutiny from industry experts.
Competition Structure:
- The event consists of 3 rigorous rounds, designed to progressively challenge teams on their deal-making acumen, financial rigour, and presentation excellence.
- Teams will first demonstrate their ability to identify value and construct a comprehensive LBO model, culminating in a live pitch to an expert panel where strategic thinking, defensive knowledge, and composure are tested.
Eligibility and Registration:
- The event is open to all undergraduate and postgraduate students.
- Each team should comprise 3-4 members.
- Cross-year and cross-spec teams are allowed.
- Team members must belong to the same institute.
- One participant cannot be a part of more than one team.
- Teams should not submit more than one entry in any of the rounds.
- Multiple teams from the same college are allowed.
- Every round is an eliminative one.
General T&C:
- All submissions must be original; plagiarism will lead to immediate disqualification.
- Any attempt to influence judges or organisers will result in disqualification.
- Official communication will be done via email and Unstop.
- The Terms and Conditions of participation are subject to change at any time without prior notice and will take effect immediately upon posting on the website.
- It is the sole responsibility of the teams to regularly visit the website to take note of any changes.
- All decisions regarding eligibility, authenticity, and final judgments will be made by the Investing Club, SPJIMR, Mumbai.
The Team behind the challenge - SPJIMR's Investing Club: Dikshit Samsukha, Manav Rohira, Parth Shah, Shlok Iyer, Tejas Gera, Tharun R Prakash, Tushar Srivastava
Important dates & deadlines?
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17 Jan'26, 12:13 PM IST Registration Deadline
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16 Jan'26, 11:59 PM IST Round 1 - Quiz Deadline
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25 Jan'26, 12:00 PM IST Round 2 - Report and Excel Submission Deadline
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29 Jan'26, 11:59 PM IST Finale - Presentation Submission Deadline
Contact the organisers
Send queries to organizersDownload attachments
Rewards and Prizes?
Cash Rewards worth 70K*
Winners
Team received INR 15,000 cash and INR 35,000 worth of premium goodies and rewards.
Runners-Up
Team receives INR 10,000 cash and INR 10,000 worth of premium goodies and rewards.
About SP Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai
- Inaugurated in 1981 by the then British Prime Minister, the Late Hon. Margaret Thatcher, SP Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR) is a leading school of management in the heart of India’s financial centre, Mumbai.
- SPJIMR is a part of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and functions as an autonomous institute with entrepreneurial agility.
- The SPJIMR Campus is spread over an expanse of 45 acres in the heart of Mumbai city, the commercial capital of India and a global financial hub.
- It has a campus lake and over 250 plant species. The campus also has 72 species of birds, making it a naturalist's delight. The greenery and shrubs also conceal 4 species of snakes.
- It is equipped with the best residential amenities that strengthen the feeling of belonging and provide students the necessary impetus to a more cohesive learning environment. The recently enhanced hostel facilities include easy access to computer facilities and library and amenities like television, table-tennis tables, water filters and coolers, coffee vending machines as well as washing machines. Furthermore, all rooms are networked and students are connected through a 24-hour Internet facility, SPINX, the Institute Intranet and messaging applications.
- The SPJIMR Song: We learn, we share; We teach, we care…