LeBow Team Looks for Repeat ACG Philadelphia Cup Championship Title

A team of LeBow College of Business graduate students has advanced to the final round of the ACG Philadelphia Cup, which will be held on April 12 at KPMG’s Center City office.

The winning group, which arose from a crop of 18 other LeBow teams, includes five members: Jason Zola, Jie Wang, Mengu Liao, Ben Wuebbenhorst and Yan Zhou.

Now in its sixth year, the Association for Corporate Growth’s ACG Philadelphia Cup is a hands-on investment banking case competition that will present up to $35,000 in awards to MBA and Masters in Finance students representing major universities in the Philadelphia area.

Last year, LeBow took home top honors at the fifth annual ACG Philadelphia Cup. By all indications, this year’s LeBow team doesn’t plan on giving up the trophy.

“I’m looking forward to continuing the competition and keeping the trophy at LeBow,” says winning team member Ben Wuebbenhorst. “This was the first year for me doing the competition, and it has definitely been a great learning experience. I’ve learned a lot from work required in the case, as well as from my teammates.”

Praised in past years for bringing teams together to translate academics into hands-on, high-pressure practice, round one of this year’s competition has remained true to form.

“We basically worked together on all parts of the case. If someone got an idea, we would brainstorm and discuss together,” says winning team member Mengsu Liao. “The biggest lesson I learnt is that I have to trust my teammates and learn from them in the competition.”

While LeBow’s winning team claims the headline, notable mention is deserved for Dimple Salva, Fei fei Chi and Suresh Shelvapille, who performed honorably without having met each other before the competition began.

“This team was a great example of how commitment and diligence can bridge distance and build connections,” says Ph.D. and LEAD MBA Program Director Liz Pelberg-Schariter, who coordinated the event. “LeBow graduate students recognize the experiential valuation of case competitions.”