ACM MarketSphere 2026 is the flagship finance and strategy case hackathon organised by RVCE ACM, the ACM student chapter at R.V. College of Engineering, Bengaluru. Run in a multi-round,
elimination-style format on Unstop, the competition is delivered in partnership with MochaTrade — a YC-backed startup building self-custodial access to US stock and crypto perpetual futures for global traders. Who Should Apply Open to all students. Inter-college teams are allowed, as are inter-specialisation teams, so participants are free to build squads across institutions and disciplines. Teams must consist of 3 to 4 members. Registration is free. Tracks / Themes Participants place themselves in the shoes of an early-stage fintech's leadership team and work on the exact problems a company like MochaTrade faces as it scales from pre-seed to its next stage of growth. Six tracks are offered, and each team may compete in only one: 1. Market Entry & Regulatory Strategy — choosing where and how MochaTrade should go global next. 2. Growth & Monetization Strategy — turning trust and access into sustainable trading volume. 3. The Flash-Crash Simulation — surviving the first 60 minutes of a market meltdown. 4. Build vs. Partner: The Infrastructure Dilemma — rent the plumbing, or build it and own the risk? 5. Founding a Category vs. Fighting Incumbents — is MochaTrade a new market, or a crowded one in disguise? 6. Hiring the Next Ten — three founders built the product; who builds the company? These are the tracks for the PPT Screening round. Exact problem statement details are released only after the registration deadline, and participants are asked to wait for those details before beginning PPT preparation. Format & Timeline The competition runs across two rounds. Round 1 is a PPT screening submission; Round 2 is an offline round held at RV College of Engineering, Bengaluru. Cases evolve as the event progresses, so teams are expected to think on their feet and adapt in real time rather than pre-solving either round. Depth of thinking and adaptability under new information are weighted as heavily as arriving at a solution. Key dates: registration closes 19 September 2026 at 11:59 PM; PPT (Round 1) submission closes 21 September 2026 at 12:00 AM; shortlist notification on 22 September 2026; Round 2 offline from 25 September 2026, 4:00 PM to 26 September 2026, 4:00 PM; results announced by judges on 26 September 2026. Prizes The total prize pool is ₹20,000, split across three ranks: ₹10,000 for 1st place, ₹6,000 for 2nd place, and ₹4,000 for 3rd place. Eligibility Open to all students. Teams of 3–4 members; inter-college and inter-specialisation teams permitted. Team composition cannot be changed after registration closes. Rules All code and project work must be original and built during the event timeline — pre-built or ready-made projects are strictly prohibited and lead to disqualification. Teams must not share code, ideas, or resources with other participating teams during the competition. Each team may compete in only one track. All submission deadlines are binding, and late submissions will not be accepted or evaluated. Any misconduct or rule violation may lead to disqualification at any stage. The organising committee's and judges' decisions are final and binding. About the Organiser RVCE ACM is the Association for Computing Machinery student chapter at R.V. College of Engineering, Bengaluru. MarketSphere is its flagship finance and strategy case hackathon, run in partnership with MochaTrade, a YC-backed fintech startup. How to Apply Registration is free and closes on 19 September 2026 at 11:59 PM. Apply via the official Unstop listing linked above.
Eligibility
Open to all students. Teams of 3–4 members; inter-college and inter-specialisation teams allowed. Registration is free.
