A Faster Way to Solve Big Business Challenges: The CyBIZ Lab Case Competition Format
For years, companies have partnered with CyBIZ Lab for semester-long consulting projects which are immersive, 3–4 month engagements that deliver one highly refined solution.
But what if your company needs multiple ideas fast?
CyBIZ Lab’s case competition format offers a shorter-term, high-impact alternative. Instead of one team working over several months, multiple vetted CyBIZ Lab teams compete over several days to solve the same business challenge. Companies walk away with five to seven professional, well-researched solutions, not just one.
The investment is $6,000 (the same as a traditional CyBIZ Lab project), but the experience is intentionally different: shorter timeline, broader ideation, and concentrated interaction with multiple top-performing student teams.
“We have some of the brightest students coming together for these case competitions and are confident that the client will receive five to seven different ideas that are professional, well thought out, and will get them headed in the right direction,” said Alex Andrade, CyBIZ Lab Director.
Ideal for Companies Seeking Fresh Ideas or Validation
This format is a strong fit for companies that:
“The great thing about this format is the client will leave with great new ideas, or validation for the solutions they’ve already been considering, and both of those things are valuable,” said Taryn Johnston, CyBIZ Lab program manager.
That validation can provide clarity and confidence to move forward, especially when ideas independently emerge from multiple student teams.
Students present their solutions at the 2025 Harvesting Innovation Case Competition.
The Case Competition Format in Action
The impact of this model was obvious in the 2025 Harvesting Innovation Case Competition, which challenged students to develop market-ready solutions for recycling wind turbine blades. Sponsored by the Iowa State University Office of the Vice President for Research and led by David Cantor, Ph.D., the competition supported REGEN Fiber’s sustainability goals.
Jeff Woods, Director of Business Development at Travero, a subsidiary of REGEN Fiber, praised the students’ research, professionalism, and presentation skills.
“The students conducted very strong background research, developed excellent questions during the discovery phase, created outstanding presentations, and spoke with confidence,” Woods said. “They also responded well to the panel’s questions, demonstrating both depth of understanding and professionalism.”
For Cantor, the collaboration highlighted the broader impact of university–industry partnerships.
“The students’ insights directly informed our ongoing research agenda, and their ideas helped both of our teams challenge existing assumptions about market potential,” he reflected. “It’s rewarding to see students contribute ideas that companies are already exploring commercially — that’s the kind of impact we want our university–industry partnerships to achieve.”
Designed for Flexibility
From a client perspective, CyBIZ Lab leadership works closely with the company in advance to develop a custom case built around a real business challenge. Clients participate in a kickoff Q&A with each team, are able to engage with teams during work sessions, and attend final presentations as judges.
All participating students sign NDAs, ensuring proprietary information remains secure. Clients also receive all final presentation materials and can implement recommendations immediately.
That interaction often leads to something else: recruiting.
The case competition format gives companies a unique opportunity to observe students’ analytical thinking, teamwork, and presentation skills in action. In past engagements, companies have hired CyBIZ Lab students full time after graduation, turning a short-term engagement into a long-term talent pipeline.
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The next competition will be held this fall, and CyBIZ Lab is seeking companies interested in sponsoring a case.
To learn more, contact Alex Andrade (aandrade@iastate.edu) or Taryn Johnston (tnoellej@iastate.edu), or submit a request through the CyBIZ Lab project form.
