CaseIT is an international undergraduate business case competition focused in management information systems. Held annually in Vancouver, British Columbia, this student-organized event focuses on information technology case analysis. Over a span of six days in February, 20 international university teams compete in a 5-hour and 24-hour case deliberation. First round presentations are held in SFU's Harbour Centre campus in Vancouver, while final-round presentations are held in the Segal Graduate School of Business, followed by an Awards Banquet where the top three universities are announced.
History
Co-founded in 2004 by Paul Cyr and Zephaniah Wong, CaseIT began as a competition between undergraduate teams within Simon Fraser University. Jenny Chao (2005) expanded the competition to incorporate teams from Western Canada, and in the following year, Andrew Kumar drew teams from across Canada. In 2007, Somnath Suresh included teams from the United States and Denmark and in the following year, Rey Lim changed the format into a 24-hour case competition with international teams from Africa and Asia. Steven Chia stabilized the growth of CaseIT in 2009 by formalizing and institutionalizing many processes. Furthering the progression of CaseIT, Nima Sarhangpour played an integral role in the incorporation of the CaseIT Foundation. CaseIT 2012 also saw the first University from Australia take part in the event. CaseIT 2014 saw the addition of the Wildcard Round through Jillian-Joy Marlinga. Gwendoline Wong increased the number of teams competing to 19 team for CaseIT 2015 and combined the Discussion Panel and the Corporate Evening events. In addition, Gwendoline launched InTech, a case competition held parallel to the international competition exclusively for students at Simon Fraser University.
In 2018, the CaseIT organizing committee created a satellite competition called PIVOT. This took the format of a one-day local ideathon and was launched to provide a platform for BC-based students to showcase their skills and talents to the business community. CaseIT 2018 saw the first time roll-out of a two-case competition format as well as the Wildcard round, effectively allowing competitors more opportunities to showcase their skills and knowledge.
Competition
Organizing Committee
Since its inception, CaseIT has been a student-organized event. Originally consisting of a committee of 16 members, it has since grown to 48 members. The Organizing Committee consists of the Chairs, Vice Chairs, Directors, Coordinators and Team Hosts.
Year Chair Vice-Chair(s) 2025 Aliya Hussain Jarl Arciaga & Alan Lam 2024 Braden Lo Meaghan Lin, Marcus Wu, & Bryan Li2023Vanessa Chau 2022 Emily Kim Rachel Dee & Rachel Vicencio 2021 Jordan Wong Jenny Lian & Kyle Lee 2020 Ricky Dang Jaclyn Rainbow & Adrienne Nogueras 2019 Michelle Chen Peyton Winslade 2018 Madeline Millsip Kim Venn 2017 Flora Yang Zachary Chua & Gianna Wu 2016 Moses To Tiffany Fong & Sunny Kim 2015 Gwendoline Wong Cheryl Chan 2014 Jillian-Joy Marlinga Nicholas Heng 2013 Peter Lew Maggie Lee 2012 Nima Sarhangpour Gordon Swenson 2011 Brian Luong Ryan Torio 2010 May Yu Stephen Lee 2009 Steven Chia Amanda Yeo 2008 Rey Lim Paulina Siu 2007 Somnath Suresh Gloria Ching 2006 Andrew Kumar Tabitha Mui 2005 Jenny Chao Zephaniah Wong 2004 Paul Cyr Zephaniah Wong
Participants
Since the competition opened to schools from around the world, CaseIT has hosted university teams from Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. Some notable participating schools in the past include:
Bocconi University School of Economics Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota Chinese University of Hong Kong Chulalongkorn University Corvinus University of Budapest Copenhagen Business School John Molson School of Business, Concordia University Deakin University Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary HEC Montréal Hong Kong University of Technology and Science Kelley School of Business, Indiana University Korea University Business School Maastricht University McMaster University National University of Singapore Queen's University, Smith School of Business Queensland University of Technology Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario Royal Roads University Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia Singapore Management University Technological University Dublin Universidad Panamericana University of Alberta University of Hong Kong University of Manchester University of Vermont Wilfrid Laurier University
Results
Twenty teams are chosen through an invitational process to participate in the 24-hour case deliberation held in Vancouver. Participants have 24 hours to solve and present their team's solution to a judging panel composed of industry professionals from CaseIT sponsor companies which range in a variety of firms. From these teams, one finalist is chosen from each tier after the first round of presentations. After the final round of presentations, the top three teams are selected by the judging panel. The past results of CaseIT are shown below with the corresponding theme for each year.
Year Theme 1st place 2nd place 3rd place2025University of ManchesterWilfrid Laurier UniversityCorvinus University of Budapest2024HEC MontréalUniversity of WashingtonIvey School of Business (Western University)2023Smith School of Business (Queen's University)Maastricht UniversityUniversity of Minnesota2022Maastricht University Rotman School of Management (University of Toronto)Kelley School of Business (Indiana University) 2021Rotterdam School of Management (Erasmus University) Kelley School of Business (Indiana University) Maastricht University 2020Kelley School of Business (Indiana University) Smith School of Business (Queen's University)Aarhus University 2019Speed of TechnologyKelley School of Business (Indiana University) Smith School of Business (Queen's University)Ryerson University2018 15 Years of CaseITUniversité libre de Bruxelles Kelley School of Business (Indiana University)Queen's University2017Augmented Reality: The Future at Your FingertipsKelley School of Business (Indiana University)Queen's UniversityHaskayne School of Business (University of Calgary)2016Cognitive Analytics: Adapting Machine for ThoughtQueen's UniversityCopenhagen Business SchoolCorvinus University of Budapest 2015 The Internet of Things: Challenges of the Future University of Manchester Queen's University Indiana University 2014 Big Data: Mining Decisions University of British Columbia Queensland University of Technology Queen's University 2013 Mobility: World Within Reach Kwantlen Polytechnic University Queen's University Ryerson University 2012 Security: Safeguarding Success Kwantlen Polytechnic University National University of Singapore Kelley School of Business (Indiana University) 2011 Analytics: Insight into the Future Queen's University Kelley School of Business (Indiana University) National University of Singapore 2010 Cloud Computing: Opportunity is in the Forecast Bocconi University Kelley School of Business (Indiana University) National University of Singapore 2009 Green IT: Sustaining Success National University of Singapore Ryerson University Kwantlen Polytechnic University 2008 Hello World: The Value of Social Networks Simon Fraser University Singapore Management University Haskayne School of Business (University of Calgary) 2007 Driving Innovation Haskayne School of Business (University of Calgary) Royal Roads University Copenhagen Business School 2006 Triumphs and Trainwrecks: Getting It Right Haskayne School of Business (University of Calgary) Royal Roads University Queen's University 2005 - Royal Roads University Kwantlen Polytechnic University Haskayne School of Business (University of Calgary)
Venues
Venues for CaseIT may change from year-to-year. The following venues are where CaseIT was held in past years.
Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue
The Asia Pacific Hall served as the inspiration for the original CaseIT logo, as the platform where competitors would present.
Vancouver Aquarium
The Corporate Function is held at the Arctic Canada Gallery at the Vancouver Aquarium. Located in Vancouver's Stanley Park, the Vancouver Aquarium was Canada's first public aquarium when it opened in 1956. Participants network with one another while watching beluga whales swim by.
Harbour Centre
After the 24-hour deliberation period, 21 teams present their first round presentations here showcasing their analytical and presentation skills to the CaseIT Judging Panel.
Segal Graduate School of Business The top four universities are announced here and present their recommendations for a second time to over 150 attendees.
References