The Countermove

Event Overview:

Businesses today operate in an environment of constant disruption: new technologies, shifting customer behaviour, economic shocks and fast-moving competitors. The organizations that win are not the ones that avoid disruption, but the ones that use it to rethink and rebuild.

The Countermove is a Strategy & Consulting Case Competition designed to challenge participants to step into the shoes of a consulting team and solve a real-world business problem shaped by disruption.

Teams will analyse the business situation, identify the core problem, evaluate strategic alternatives, and develop a practical recommendation for the organization. The competition will test participants on their ability to think critically, use business frameworks effectively, interpret information, and convert analysis into actionable strategy.

The competition will culminate in an on-campus final where the top teams will face a live disruption to the case, adapt their strategy, and defend their recommendations before a judging panel.

Round Structure:

Round 1: Online Strategy Quiz

The first round will test participants' understanding of business strategy, consulting concepts, and business decision-making.

Details:

• Questions: Objective questions based on business strategy, consulting concepts, business frameworks, logical reasoning and current business affairs
• Platform: Unstop
• Duration: 25 questions in 10 minutes
• Purpose: First elimination round
• Participation: All registered teams
• Shortlisting: Top-performing teams will qualify for Round 2

The quiz will test participants' ability to identify the right strategic approach rather than simply recall definitions.

Round 2: Case Competition Challenge

Shortlisted teams will receive a business case involving a strategic challenge faced by an organization. Teams will be expected to approach the case like a consulting team working for the organization's senior management.

Phase 1: Situation Analysis

Teams will understand the company, industry, market environment, customer landscape, competitors, and key business challenges provided in the case. Participants must identify the core business problem rather than addressing only its visible symptoms.

Phase 2: Strategic Analysis

Teams will analyse the key factors influencing the problem using relevant strategic and business frameworks. Possible areas of analysis may include:

• Industry and competitive analysis
• Customer analysis
• Market attractiveness
• Business model analysis
• Financial/business implications
• Internal capabilities
• Growth opportunities
• Competitive positioning

Participants are encouraged to use frameworks only where they add meaningful insight.

Phase 3: Strategic Recommendation

Teams must develop a clear and practical recommendation for the organization. The recommendation should answer:

• What should the company do?
• Why should it do it?
• How should it implement the strategy?
• What impact can the strategy create?

Phase 4: Action Plan & Submission

Teams will convert their analysis into a concise consulting-style presentation. The submission should demonstrate a clear flow:

Problem → Analysis → Insight → Strategy → Implementation → Expected Impact

Teams will submit a 3-slide PPT excluding the title slide, thank-you slide and annexure.

Round 3: On-Campus Final – The Countermove Round

The shortlisted teams will present their case solutions on campus before the judging panel.

Presentation Format:

• Presentation Time: 10 minutes
• Q&A: 5 minutes
• Mode: Offline (On Campus)

Teams will be evaluated not only on the quality of their solution but also on how effectively they communicate and defend their recommendation. Judges may challenge assumptions, question the feasibility of the proposed strategy, and ask teams to justify their analysis.

The final round will test:

• Strategic thinking
• Business understanding
• Analytical depth
• Recommendation quality
• Feasibility
• Communication
• Handling of questions
• Prize Pool: ₹50,000
• Winner: ₹25,000 + Certificate
• Runner-up 1: ₹15,000 + Certificate
• Runner-up 2: ₹10,000 + Certificate
• Participation Certificate: For eligible participants

Submission Guidelines:

• Format of Submission: PPT – 3-slide deck excluding Title, Thank You, and Annexure slides
• Naming Convention: TeamName_CollegeName
• Submission Platform: Unstop
• Submission Window: 15th November – 23rd November 2026
• Submission Deadline: 23rd November 2026, 11:59 PM
• Submissions received after the deadline may not be considered for evaluation.
• Teams must ensure that their submission is clear, concise, and based on the case information and analysis.

Suggested Presentation Structure:

Round 2 (3-Slide Deck):

• Slide 1 – Problem & Key Insights
• Slide 2 – Strategic Recommendation
• Slide 3 – Implementation & Impact

Supporting analysis, frameworks and calculations may be placed in the annexure.