Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies News

The 2025 Midwest Entrepreneurship Case Competition (MECC)

March 6th, 2025

The Midwest Entrepreneurship Case Competition (MECC), now in its second year, has quickly gained recognition as a unique and valuable learning opportunity for undergraduate students across the Midwest. Setting itself apart from traditional business case competitions, MECC challenges participants to think critically, conduct independent research, and develop their strategies—skills essential for the next generation of entrepreneurs.

This competition isn’t just about solving hypothetical problems—it’s about fostering real-world entrepreneurial thinking and innovation. MECC provides an excellent platform for students to push the boundaries of creativity while honing the skills needed to succeed in the fast-paced business world.

This year’s challenge

The 2025 competition featured the “When Solutions are in Search of Problems: New Venture Creation in the Booming Market of Digital Speech Recognition” case from Sage Business Cases. The prompt, written by the event organizer, asked participants to utilize speech recognition technology developed by Witlingo to create a new or improved voice-operated service or application, with the Founder and CEO of Witlingo, Ahmed Bouzid participating as a distinguished judge in the final round. 

Given the increasing demand for digital voice assistants and voice-controlled applications, this year’s challenge focused on the vast opportunities within the speech recognition market. Participants were asked to think beyond conventional uses and creatively apply Witlingo’s technology to develop innovative business solutions.

A total of 27 teams registered for the case competition. Competing teams represented five top universities: Purdue University, Michigan State University, Indiana University Bloomington, the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Illinois Chicago. With so many talented teams involved, the event showcased the ingenuity and business acumen of students eager to make their mark in entrepreneurship.

Judges and feedback

The competition featured a panel of judges from leading academic institutions, each bringing their unique expertise to the table. In the first round, judges included:

• Carmen Orth-Alfie, graduate engagement librarian at The University of Kansas
• Neal Baker, business information specialist and clinical assistant professor at Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies
• HD McKay, business librarian and lecturer at Vanderbilt University
• Kristen Peters, associate professor and reference librarian at Wittenberg University

The final round of judging featured:

• Ahmed Bouzid, founder and CEO of Witlingo
• Rebecca Frankel, acquisitions editor at Sage
• Ilana Stonebraker, head of Business and Social Sciences at Indiana University Libraries

These experienced judges provided valuable feedback to the teams, elevating the competition by ensuring that solutions were evidence-based and carefully scrutinized by subject-matter experts. Their insights were crucial in guiding participants as they refined their ideas and business strategies.

2025 winners

After a competitive and rigorous competition, the top teams were recognized for their outstanding innovation and business strategies. Congratulations to the following winners:

• First Place: SLAM Solutions (Purdue University)
  • Sara Negishi
  • Liam Arnold
  • Addie Hardan
  • Minzie Choi

• Second Place: Mendoza Consulting Group (University of Notre Dame)
  • Mary Behnke
  • Jack Klimek
  • Lydia Zheng
  • Devon Creelman 

• Third Place: The Sharks (University of Illinois Chicago)
  • Abdelrahman Metwally
  • Nour Ahmed
  • Rawan Alobaidi
  • Jood Soufan

Partnership with Sage Business

The competition was proudly sponsored by Sage Business, whose support went beyond providing funding for the top teams. Sage’s contribution was significant as they offered invaluable resources to all participating teams, including access to Sage Business Cases, Sage Business Foundations, and Sage Data—essential tools for exploring multimedia case content, developing new business skills and knowledge, and conducting market analysis using real-world data. 

Sage’s contribution extended to organizing training sessions for both teams and librarians, ensuring participants had the necessary resources to succeed. A special thank you to the Sage team: Rebecca Frankel, Rachel Taliaferro, Laura Berg, Maureen Adams, Emily Smith, Diana Aleman, Nicole Wu, and Jennifer Bourque, whose dedication helped ensure the competition’s smooth execution and success.

Looking ahead

The MECC’s success would not have been possible without the tremendous efforts of its planning committee. Congratulations to Zoeanna Mayhook (committee chair), Annette Bochenek, Liz Grauel, Terence O’Neill, and Ilana Stonebraker on planning a successful event. Their hard work, strategic planning, and attention to detail ensured the competition was an engaging and enriching experience for everyone involved.

As the MECC grows in participation, it remains a vital platform for students to hone their entrepreneurial skills. The 2025 competition was a testament to the participating teams’ talent, creativity, and collaboration.