SEED Business Challenge 2026

Presented by the University of Maryland – Robert H. Smith School of Business

Only 0.4% of startups ever reach $100M in revenue.
In the SEED Business Challenge 2026, you will take a hypothetical mid-stage company stuck at a critical scale-up point and design a strategic roadmap that propels it to $100M—using real datasets and real business constraints.

If you have the mindset, strategic thinking, and innovative ideas to solve this challenge, we invite you to participate, submit your solution, and compete for cash prizes + scholarship opportunities.

Who Can Participate?

Undergraduate Students

• Students in pre-final year (3rd year of a 4-year program / 2nd year of a 3-year program)
• Students currently in their final year of undergraduate studies

Graduate Students

• 1st and 2nd-year students enrolled in MBA, MTech, MA, M.Com., MSc, or equivalent master’s programs at any Indian university

Early-Career Professionals

• Working professionals with up to 3 years of full-time experience (as of competition start date)
• Team Size: 2–3 members
• Participation Fee: Free

Competition Timeline

Essay Themes (Choose ONE)

1. Solving the Growth Equation

A B2B SaaS company at $12M revenue has a broken growth engine—CAC has doubled to $16,400, conversions have fallen to 2.3%, and competitors are winning deals.

Essay Topic: When Growth Stalls: Diagnosing and Fixing Customer Acquisition Challenges in Scaling Businesses

Key Focus Areas:

• Customer segmentation of 15K prospects & 50K leads
• Funnel breakdown analysis
• ROI-focused channel strategy across a $95K monthly budget
• Growth roadmap to scale from $12M → $100M ARR

2. The Profitability Engine

A food delivery platform making $15M revenue loses $2.60 per delivery due to inefficient routing, semi-manual dispatching, and poor technology.

Essay Topic: Scaling Without Breaking: How Technology and Operations Drive Profitable Growth

Key Focus Areas:

• Operational optimization using 2.5M delivery data points
• Designing routing algorithms to increase driver efficiency
• Full-stack technology redesign to automate workflows
• Profitability and market expansion strategy across 25 cities

3. The Retention Game Plan

A cloud security SaaS company at $10M ARR loses 28% of customers annually. LTV ($11.2K) is lower than CAC ($12K), and only 15% buy a second product.

Essay Topic: Beyond Acquisition: Building Business Models Where Existing Customers Drive Growth

Key Focus Areas:

• Churn prediction models using 8K customer accounts
• Retention + expansion interventions
• Product adoption and cross-sell strategy
• Net revenue retention plan to move from 85% → 115%+

Essay Submission – What It Means

Your essay is the first gateway to the SEED Business Challenge 2026.
Choose ONE theme—Acquire, Operate, or Retain—and craft a strategic, analytical, and actionable essay.

Your essay should:

• Demonstrate your understanding of the core business problem
• Present a clear, strategic approach
• Show analytical reasoning and innovative thinking

Requirements:

• Must be original (No plagiarism, no AI-generated content)
• Maximum 1000 words
• Focus on strategy, not lengthy descriptions
• Use the provided template for structure