ACM Marketsphere 2026

ACM MarketSphere is RVCE ACM's flagship finance and strategy case hackathon, run in a multi-round, elimination-style format on Unstop. MochaTrade is a YC-backed startup building self-custodial access to US stock and crypto perpetual futures for global traders. In partnership with MochaTrade, this track puts participants in the shoes of an early-stage fintech's leadership team, solving the exact problems a company like MochaTrade faces as it scales from pre-seed to its next stage of growth. Teams should expect the cases to evolve as the event progresses, and should be ready to think on their feet and adapt in real time rather than treating either round as something to solve in advance. Depth of thinking and adaptability under new information are weighted just as heavily as arriving at a solution. Note: These are the tracks for the PPT Screening round, exact details about problems statements will be released after the registration deadline.  Participants are requested to wait until the exact details about problem statements are released before starting the PPT preparation. Tracks (choose one): # Track In one line 1 Market Entry & Regulatory Strategy Choosing where and how MochaTrade should go global next. 2 Growth & Monetization Strategy Turning trust and access into sustainable trading volume. 3 The Flash-Crash Simulation Surviving the first 60 minutes of a market meltdown. 4 Build vs. Partner: The Infrastructure Dilemma Rent the plumbing, or build it, and own the risk? 5 Founding a Category vs. Fighting Incumbents Is MochaTrade a new market, or a crowded one in disguise? 6 Hiring the Next Ten Three founders built the product. Who builds the company? Eligibility: Open to all students. Inter-college teams: Allowed Inter-specialization teams: Allowed Team size: 3 to 4 members Registration Fee: Free Event  Prize Pool: ₹20,000 total  1st Prize - ₹ 10,000 2nd Prize - ₹ 6,000 3rd Prize - ₹ 4,000 Timeline: Registration Closes: 18th Sept, 11:59 PM PPT (Round 1) Submission Closes: 21st Sept, 12:00 AM Shortlist Notification: 22nd Sept Round 2 (Offline) : 25th Sept 4:00 pm to 26th Sept 4:00 pm Results Announcement: 26th Sept by judges Note:  Offline event will be held at RV College of Engineering, Bengaluru Rules: All code and project work must be original and built during the event timeline — submission of pre-built/ready-made projects (built before the competition) is strictly prohibited and will lead to disqualification. Teams must not share code, ideas, or resources with other participating teams during the competition. Each team may compete in only one track. Team composition (members) cannot be changed after registration closes. The organizing committee's/judges' decisions are final and binding. Teams must adhere to all submission deadlines, late submissions will not be accepted or evaluated. Any misconduct, misbehavior, or violation of these rules during the event may lead to disqualification at any stage.