The 8th annual HBCU Battle of the Brains competition will pit teams of students from HBCUs around the country to determine which school is the HBCU Battle of the Brains Champion.
Colleges and universities are encouraged to send their best and brightest teams to represent your school! 30 teams from universities around the country will compete until the final seven teams are identified. Those seven teams will move onto the Finals to determine the eighth annual HBCU Battle of the Brains Champion.
Mission: HBCU Battle of the Brains serves as an HBCU academic national championship as well as an experiential diversity recruiting showcase of top Black talent from colleges and universities across the country.
Target Market: Business and STEM students of the African diaspora ranging from college freshmen to graduate school students.
Team Construction Guidelines:
- We encourage teams to be comprised of 5-8 students of which at least 50% identify as women and at least 50% identify as Black or are of the African diaspora, if institutionally applicable.
- A successful team will be comprised of (but not limited to) students from the following majors:
- Accounting
- Communications
- Computer Science
- Data Science/Analytics
- Digital Media
- Engineering (various)
- Finance
- Marketing
- Mathematics
Teams will be encouraged to incorporate design, policy, business, and STEM components into their business solutions.
Institutional Scholarship Prizes:
- First Place Prize – $50,000
- Second Place Prize – $20,000
- Third Place Prize – $10,000
Individual Scholarship Prizes:
- eBay – $5,000
Registration Deadline: Friday, February 7, 2025
Event Timeline: Wednesday, March 12, 2025 – Sunday, March 16, 2025
Location: Austin, Texas (AUS)
HBCU BOTB Problem to Solve: To be provided at the start of the competition. One participating team from each university will have 24 hours to develop a solution based on the business challenges presented [ex: social engagement tool/platform/strategy (website/mobile app), a marketing plan with collateral, a go-to-market strategy for technology solution].
Criteria:
- Analysis: Ability to thoroughly articulate the technology and business value of their solution
- Business/Technology Solution: proposed solution using current and/or future technology trends
- Presentation: Ability to pitch their solution effectively to the panel of participants
- Q&A: demonstrated mastery of subject matter by addressing the judge’s inquiries
NOTE: The HBCU Battle of the Brains will be made up of a variety of components. The 24-hour portion of the competition will take place from Thursday, March 13, 2025, to Friday, March 14, 2025. Participating teams must attend ALL programming.