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December 9th, 2025
The Eli Lilly Case Competition is a longstanding component of the Intro to Management and Information Strategies course (MGMT 110) and is organized in collaboration with Libraries assistant professors Zoe Mayhook and Annette Bochenek, Eli Lilly and Company, and the Larsen Leaders Academy Executive Board.
In MGMT 110, students focus on the development of their academic and professional goals while building and sharpening their information-gathering skills by developing systematic methods for finding, evaluating, and presenting information. The Larsen Leaders Academy offers high-achieving business students a community of like-minded peers and professionals dedicated to fostering their natural aptitudes and encouraging their success.
The case competition presents a complex pharmaceutical investment case that requires students to conduct comprehensive business research, including analyzing company financials, evaluating patents and regulatory environments, assessing scientific risks, and examining industry and competitive landscapes and market and consumer profiles. It includes two rounds: an initial virtual presentation round, followed by an in-person, final round for the top six teams. This year, 13 teams competed, six advanced to the final round, and three teams earned top placements.
The teams that earned top placements include:
1st Place:
2nd Place:
3rd Place:
As a member of the 3rd place team, Rafe Cultrara reflected on his experience and said, “Competing in the Eli Lilly Case Competition showed me how strong business decisions depend on high-quality data and well-supported assumptions. As the finance lead, I had to turn uncertainty about the drugs and the market into a clear valuation, which challenged me to think more critically about how information, risk, and strategy come together in real-world decision-making.”
Information literacy is a key component of this case competition. Very little data or information is provided, and students must fill in the gaps with research and informed assumptions. This requires students to spend time locating different types of business information, synthesizing and analyzing their findings, and using that information to make evidence-based decisions and recommendations.
Also reflecting on his experience participating in the competition, first-place team member John Harrell said, “Participating in the Eli Lilly Case Competition was a unique experience that challenged our team to evaluate each potential drug through careful research and informed judgment. With limited information provided, we had to get creative, synthesizing scientific data, assessing market and financial factors, and weighing the risks and benefits of each decision. This experience strengthened our ability to locate and analyze complex information, think critically, and collaborate toward a strategic, evidence-based recommendation.”
A special thank you to Katarina Nikolovski, Hannah Cohen, Maggie Viewegh, Brynna Walthers, Preston Holb, Jorge Alonso Guerrero, Yana Petrova, and Riley Garrison at Eli Lilly and Company for their contributions to this event. We are proud of all the students who participated, and congratulations to the three teams who earned top placements. Well done!
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