Numero Uno: A Strategy Case Competition

Numero Uno is a strategy case competition organised by the Forum for Industrial Interaction (FII) at IIM Bangalore, designed to identify future leaders through a rigorous multi-round format. The competition challenges participants on business acumen, strategic thinking, decision-making under pressure, and leadership qualities, pushing them to bring out their creativity, dynamic spirit, and communication skills.

Who Should Apply This competition is open to individual participants — students and professionals alike — who want to test their managerial aptitude and compete for the title of Numero Uno. It is an individual event, so no team formation is required.

Format & Timeline The competition is conducted over three rounds:

Round 1: Differentiation — An online objective quiz on the Unstop platform comprising 25 questions to be completed in 20 minutes. Questions span management concepts, business awareness, strategy, finance, marketing, operations, leadership, and current affairs. Participants are shortlisted based on accuracy and speed.

Round 2: Strategy Case Submission — Shortlisted participants receive a contemporary business problem requiring strategic analysis and recommendations. Participants have 4–6 days to work on the case and submit a 4-slide deck (excluding title slide and appendix). Entries are evaluated on problem understanding, analytical rigor, creativity, feasibility, and strategic insight. Top 6–8 participants advance to the final round.

Round 3: Board Room Discussion (Offline Finale) — This round has two parts:

• Round 3a: Boardroom Crisis Simulation (Non-Eliminating) — Finalists are assigned executive roles and grouped into boardrooms to deliberate on a business crisis scenario, aiming to reach a consensus through discussions and negotiations. This round assesses strategic thinking, leadership, communication, and decision-making under pressure.
• Round 3b: Boardroom Showdown (Eliminating) — Participants face a high-stakes business scenario requiring swift and effective decision-making. Finalists defend their viewpoints, negotiate with stakeholders, and formulate actionable solutions in a simulated boardroom environment. Evaluation is based on strategic acumen, leadership qualities, persuasion, communication, presence of mind, and ability to perform under pressure.

Prizes Winner and runner-ups share a total prize pool of ₹1,11,111. All participants receive a participation certificate.

Eligibility Open to individuals. No team size — this is a solo competition. No specific eligibility restrictions mentioned; open to all who can participate online in the initial rounds and travel for the offline finale if shortlisted.

About the Organiser The Forum for Industrial Interaction (FII) is the industry-academia interface body at IIM Bangalore, one of India's premier business schools. FII organises various events and competitions to bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world business challenges.

How to Apply Registration is open on the Unstop platform. The registration deadline is July 25, 2026. Apply via the official event page linked above.