Haile College of Business Hosts First Annual Stock Pitch Competition

It's what happened on February 23, 2026 at Northern Kentucky University. The Haile College of Business held its first annual Haile Stock Pitch Competition. Fourteen teams from around the nation came prepared to pitch a stock selection to 24 judges, representing a wide array of financial institutions and professions, and we even heard from regional public figures in the industry, Bob Castellini and Paul Gerwe, during morning and afternoon keynote speeches.

What is a Stock Pitch Competition?

A stock pitch competition is a blend of science, research, presentation skill, and gamesmanship. At the college level, students from a variety of majors assemble themselves into teams. Those teams select a stock (representing ownership in publicly traded companies). Then those teams work on a presentation on whether a stock is a good selection based on their research. Their research includes financial models, analysis, reporting, and more. They present their research as a team to a panel of judges who determines how they did. The competition is to determine which teams did the best job. Often the teams are competing for bragging rights of winning, and even cash prizes.

Why are stock pitch competitions done?

The Haile College of Business saw that there was an opportunity to give our students, and students from other colleges, the experience of applying what they learn in class to a real-world problem, "Should I invest in this stock?". What's more is that students who engage in stock pitch competitions can also go on to other competitions and present to industry organizations like the Certified Financial Advisors or CFAs. The CFAs are like the "super bowl" of financial advising. Bringing together students and industry professionals is a win-win.

What happened at the 2026 Haile College Stock Pitch Competition?

In one day, over 50 students representing 14 teams from 12 different colleges, some from all the way from St. Louis to Chattanooga, to Vermont, came to NKU dressed to impress, with pitch-decks loaded ready to present their investment thesis. The day started with breakfast at the University Center Ballroom with competitors and a keynote message from Bob Castellini, Jr. He spoke about developing a winning mindset in business and life.

Then, teams headed to preliminary rounds. Each team presented their investment thesis and fielded questions from the panel of judges. After the preliminary round teams took a short break and then enjoyed lunch with teams and judges. For the afternoon competitors and judges heard from Paul Gerwe, director of securities for Fifth Third. He spoke about the challenges in the world of finance and how students can prepare for a profitable career after graduation.

After a short break, competition organizers announced the finalists for the competition. And, wasting no time, finalists again presented their investment thesis. Practice makes perfect. After all the finalists presented, then the entire group were allowed to vote electronically for the winners.

Who won the 2026 Stock Pitch Competition?

At this year's Haile Stock Pitch Competition the winners were:

• 1st Place: NKU Haile College "The Compounding Case" (Philip Bierley, Theo Helton, Daniel Kyntchev, and David Pope). They pitched Netflix, Inc. (NFLX)
• 2nd Place: Miami of Ohio's "Miami University Team 1" (Layth Benkhalil, Cameron Cooke, Rowan Kelly, and Rebecca Kibler). They pitched Incyte, Corp (INCY)
• 3rd Place: NKU Haile College "Haile Research Fellows" (Dylan Fogt, Linh Nguyen, Wilfried Panlap, and Ahmad Richardson). They pitched Cardinal Health (CAH)

The competition also presented a Student Choice Award. That award went to Miami University Team 1.

Conclusion

Competition can bring the best out of people, and that's certainly true of the teams that participated in this year's Haile College Stock Pitch Competition. With big checks in hand, winners left with a sense of pride for their work, their school, and the professors and mentors who helped guide them this far. Everyone learned something new, experienced a new way to look at problems, and grew their network with judges and keynote speakers.

What's in store for next year's competition? We hope to make next year's competition bigger and better. We hope to see more teams compete more judges get involved, and hopefully an increase in prize money!

We couldn't have done this without the sponsorship from Fifth Third Bank, Republic Bank, First Financial, and Truist. Thank you.

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