Home Competition Stories Amazon ACE Challenge 2018 National Finalist IIM Kozhikode's Gaurav Shroff's Story

Amazon ACE Challenge 2018 National Finalist IIM Kozhikode's Gaurav Shroff's Story

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Amazon ACE Challenge 2018 National Finalist IIM Kozhikode's Gaurav Shroff's Story

Just recalling the moment when we were declared the National Finalists of Amazon ACE Challenge 2018, send shivers down my spine! The moment we heard our name being called out, we felt about happiness take over us. The roaring sounds gave us the confidence that we can do it! And just when I thought that I could not get more overwhelmed, I saw myself speaking on national television for almost 17 seconds in the telecast! My joy knew no bounds.

We participated in this competition because firstly, it was Amazon- a dream company to work for as the national finalists were supposed to get PPIs and secondly, it was one of the first case competitions in the campus after we joined.

Preparation for Amazon ACE Challenge 2018

We were given a hardcore deadline of 72 hours for the competition. 36 hours went in discussing the big idea and brainstorming. Then we went ahead evaluating the ideas on business performance parameters, exploring the internet, disturbing Amazon’s customer care by our calls, and analyzing the competition and Amazon's current business and core strengths.

The most difficult part was to sit for those 72 hours together away from all the distractions. For us, it was a do or die situation! We put our blood and soul into this. These 72 hours were some of the most memorable moments of the entire competition journey and even of my MBA.

We had conflicts for ideas, thoughts, and feasibility. Since one of the most important things in the business idea is to convey your idea in a convincing way, we used logic and question to counter each other’s points and ideas. Then, we worked out to find loopholes and improve our idea.

The Team

The bond of friendship between the team members and the ability to understand each other grew along the journey. Each member had some sort of expertise. For example, Saurabh is excellent in researching for data; Aditya in creating and estimating financial statements. Similarly, I was good with writing documents, preparing a structure and making a presentation.

Amazon ACE Challenge 2018 Finale

There were 5 teams in the finale. Of course, the winning team from IIM Ahmedabad was good. They were well-prepared for the questions raised by the jury members. Judges were good, but it could have been a great help if they would have told us the basis of their judgement i.e. parameters.

It was great to see Amazon's office, interact with the senior leaders of Amazon, and understand their thoughts about the business. Definitely, meeting candidates from other campuses was exciting. Through the journey, we understood that the team is the core of success and they should stand for each other. Also, we should make the best use of interactions and learn from the mistakes- both of others and ours.

Do you have your eyes set on winning Amazon ACE Challenge 2018? Read more about Amazon ACE Challenge 2018 and the organizers Amazon to cover all your basis. Other competition organized by Amazon is Alexa Skills Hackathon.

Edited by

Gaurav Shroff - IIM Kozhikode

(Batch of 2017-19)

Gaurav Shroff, an MBA student from IIM Kozhikode, is a Mechanical Engineer; the documenter and structurer; a marketing enthusiast with 3 years of experience in B2B sales.

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MBA Amazon B-School Amazon Ace Challenge 2018 IIM Kozhikode Amazon Ace Challenge