01 / REASON
Solve the problem.
Research, frame an unfamiliar challenge, test assumptions, and make decisions.
THE EXPERIENCE
WHERE IDEAS MEET THE CLOCK.
A high-energy academic challenge, a live pitch, and a broader experience designed around the brilliance of HBCU students.
WATCH THE RECAP
Step inside the Battle.
Get a feel for the energy, teamwork, and ideas that bring the Battle to life. This recap captures a previous HBCU Battle of the Brains competition.
A FAMILIAR VOICE | YEAR AFTER YEAR
The welcome that sets the tone.
Steve Wyche has been an important part of HBCU Battle of the Brains, co-hosting the welcome each year and helping open the experience for our students, university teams, and partners.
His familiar presence reflects the relationships and shared commitment that have carried the Battle forward through the years.
THE COMPETITION
A challenge that demands every perspective.
HBCU Battle of the Brains centers on a time-bound, cross-disciplinary case competition. Student teams receive a complex business or technology challenge, analyze the issues, build a solution, and prepare a compelling recommendation.
The established format has included a 24-hour competition followed by finalist presentations. The final pitch asks students to explain their thinking clearly, respond to questions, and show how their ideas can work in practice. Specific rules and timing for 2027 will be announced with the event program.
Ideas take shape through teamwork. HBCU BOTB 2026.
THE TALENT MODEL
Talent, demonstrated.
The case competition gives students a meaningful opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities through work. Industry professionals can see emerging talent think, collaborate, decide, and communicate in real time.
Teams respond to complex business or technology challenges under a defined deadline, build evidence-based recommendations, and defend their approach before judges. This project-based format brings classroom learning into a professional context and supports substantive conversations about talent, career pathways, and the skills employers value.
02 / COLLABORATE
Work across disciplines.
Bring different perspectives together, manage roles, and move a team forward.
03 / COMMUNICATE
Defend the thinking.
Translate analysis into a persuasive pitch and answer questions with clarity.
04 / DELIVER
Perform under pressure.
Prioritize, adapt, and deliver a thoughtful recommendation against the clock.
OUR HOST PARTNERS
A home for the heartbeat of the Battle.
Our host partners have helped give the Battle a home. We are grateful for their commitment to our students, our competition, and the community that brings it all together.
OUR HOMETOWN HOST HBCU
Huston-Tillotson University
As our hometown host HBCU, Huston-Tillotson University has been invested in the Battle and served as a host partner since the program’s inception. We are grateful for HT’s lasting commitment to our students and our community.
HOME TO OUR 24-HOUR COMPETITION
2018–2019 & 2023–2026
The Home Depot
The Home Depot hosted our 24-hour competition in 2018 and 2019, and again from 2023 through 2026. Thank you for opening your doors to HBCU brilliance and giving the heartbeat of our program a home.
We will return in 2027 for our 10th annual competition.
SPRING 2022
Expedia Group
Expedia Group helped bring us out of the virtual era by hosting both HBCU Battle of the Brains and HSI Battle of the Brains in the spring of 2022. Thank you for helping bring our communities back together for in-person competition.
THE JOURNEY
Every part of the process matters.
01 | ASSEMBLE
Build a team that draws on varied academic disciplines, experiences, and strengths.
02 | SOLVE
Investigate the case, test assumptions, and turn evidence into a solution.
03 | PRESENT
Tell the story behind the solution, demonstrate teamwork, and respond to judges.
04 | CONNECT
Meet peers and industry professionals through the larger BOTB experience.
Make your case.
A moment to share the work, explain the thinking, and bring an idea to life.
Student team presentation at HBCU BOTB 2026.
Find your people.
Shared energy and new connections are part of the experience from the moment teams arrive.
The HBCU BOTB community 2026.
BEYOND THE COMPETITION
The conversations continue outside the room.
Historically, HBCU BOTB has featured company experiences, skill-building activations, and panel discussions. These experiences help participants learn directly from professionals, explore workplace possibilities, and engage with the broader HBCU BOTB community.
Programming, locations, and participating organizations for 2027 will be shared as they are confirmed.
Working together beyond the competition. HBCU BOTB 2026.
KEYNOTE VOICES THROUGH THE YEARS
Conversations that expand what is possible.
From the virtual stage in 2020 to the energy of gathering in person, HBCU Battle of the Brains has welcomed keynote speakers who bring their experiences, ideas, and perspectives directly into the student experience.
2020 | VIRTUAL KEYNOTE
Gary Vaynerchuk
During the 2020 virtual competition, Gary Vaynerchuk joined the Battle as a keynote speaker. His participation reflects the program’s commitment to connecting HBCU students with influential voices through every chapter of its history.
2018 | CULTURE, MENTORSHIP & SXSW
A Different World came to the Battle.
A Different World brought the culture and promise of HBCU campus life into homes across the country through the fictional Hillman College. In 2018, actor Darryl Bell brought that connection directly into the HBCU Battle of the Brains experience.
Bell mentored competing student teams, served as a Finals Judge, and participated as an official SXSW speaker. His involvement connected a beloved piece of HBCU cultural history with students demonstrating their own talent, ideas, and leadership.
CULTURE & CONNECTION
Homecoming Celebration with DJ Envy.
Shared challenges create new connections. Moments of celebration give those connections room to grow.
This archival video from our Homecoming Celebration with DJ Envy captures the culture and community woven into the HBCU Battle of the Brains experience.
THE SOUND OF THE BATTLE
No Slowing Down
HBCU Battle of the Brains featuring Josiah Williams
Released in 2020, the program’s own single brings the HBCU BOTB identity into music. Williams’ creative career includes work with WWE and Disney.
THRIVENT GENEROSITY
Service is part of the Battle.
When Thrivent introduced its Generosity event to Battle of the Brains, it changed the culture of our program.
Our annual community service project brings students together around a shared purpose: putting generosity into action and contributing to the community.
Students put generosity into action, assembling supplies together during the Thrivent Generosity Event.
HBCU Battle of the Brains participants come together for the Thrivent Generosity event.
NFL EXPERIENCESHIPS
From the Draft stage to the League office.
Through our partnership with the NFL, HBCU Battle of the Brains students experienced the NFL Draft in Las Vegas and Kansas City and engaged directly with executives at the NFL League Offices in New York.
The NFL served as HBCU Battle of the Brains title sponsor from 2019 through 2024. These Experienceships extended the student experience into professional sports, culture, leadership, and meaningful industry relationships.
01 / 2022 NFL DRAFT
Las Vegas
The 2022 Las Vegas Experienceship included students from Fisk University and Johnson C. Smith University. Participants stepped into Draft-night operations, job-shadowed NFL production teams, and connected with leaders across sports and culture.
Inside the Las Vegas Experienceship
- Job shadowing with NFL production teams inside the broadcast trucks, exploring the people, technology, and coordination behind live coverage.
- Handing team hats to first-round draft picks during the 2022 NFL Draft.
- Access to a private NFL Draft location and an on-field experience at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders.
- Time with Marshawn Lynch at Lo-Lo’s Chicken & Waffles.
- A performance of Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque du Soleil.
- A private dinner with an etiquette coach, connecting professional presence with everyday confidence.
FIRST-ROUND HAT HANDOFFS
Part of Draft night.
HBCU Battle of the Brains students handed team hats to first-round draft picks as the players prepared to take the stage at the 2022 NFL Draft.
Their Experienceship connected career exploration with a direct role in a landmark moment for each player.
Two first-round hat handoffs, captured on the event screen. A 27-second highlight from the HBCU BOTB Experienceship archives.
ON THE FIELD
On the field at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders, during the 2022 NFL Draft Experienceship.
AT THE DRAFT
Inside the energy of the 2022 NFL Draft in Las Vegas.
INSIDE NFL PRODUCTION
Students job-shadowed NFL production teams inside the broadcast trucks during the 2022 NFL Draft in Las Vegas.
LO-LO’S CHICKEN & WAFFLES
Students connected with Marshawn Lynch during their Las Vegas Experienceship.
CULTURE & COMMUNITY
A cultural experience together at Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque du Soleil.
02 / 2023 NFL DRAFT
Kansas City
The 2023 Kansas City Experienceship included students from Alabama State University. Participants stepped onto one of football’s biggest stages and explored the broader business of professional sports.
Inside the Kansas City Experienceship
On stage at the NFL Draft. HBCU BOTB students experienced the Kansas City NFL Draft from an extraordinary vantage point, taking the stage at the event itself.
Inside Kansas City Current headquarters. Students visited the headquarters of the Kansas City Current, gaining exposure to another professional sports organization and its world.
A tour with the Kansas City Royals. Students toured the Royals’ stadium and stepped onto the field for another perspective on professional sports.
A private tour of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Students explored the history and legacy of Black baseball as part of their Kansas City Experienceship.
Conversations with industry leaders. A fireside chat with Kimmi Chex added another opportunity to learn from a voice in football.
THE 2023 NFL DRAFT
HBCU Battle of the Brains students at the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City.
KANSAS CITY ROYALS
An on-field moment during the students’ tour of the Kansas City Royals stadium.
KANSAS CITY CURRENT
A visit to Kansas City Current headquarters expanded students’ view of the professional sports industry.
INDUSTRY CONVERSATIONS
Students connected with sports industry professionals during the Kansas City Experienceship.
BLACK BASEBALL HISTORY
A private tour of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum connected the Experienceship with the history and legacy of Black baseball.
03 / NFL LEAGUE OFFICES
New York
At the NFL League Offices at 345 Park Avenue, students developed solutions focused on equity and potential revisions to the NFL’s Rooney Rule. They presented their recommendations directly to NFL executives.
Their proposals were subsequently shared with all 32 NFL clubs, carrying HBCU student perspectives across the league.
32
NFL CLUBS RECEIVED
STUDENT PROPOSALS
CHEYNEY + PRAIRIE VIEW A&M
Cheyney University and Prairie View A&M University students at the NFL League Offices in New York.
STUDENT SOLUTIONS
Students presented recommendations on equity and the NFL’s Rooney Rule directly to NFL executives at 345 Park Avenue.
SHARED WITH ALL 32 CLUBS
HBCU student perspectives entered the conversation. Their proposals were subsequently shared with all 32 NFL clubs.
Access creates a new sense of possibility.
These historic Experienceships reflect what is possible when students are invited into the rooms, organizations, and conversations shaping an industry. Future opportunities will be shared as they are confirmed.
THE NEXT CHAPTER STARTS WITH A CONVERSATION.
Join us in celebrating HBCU talent and preparing for the 10th annual event in Austin.
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