A team of Gatton College of Business and Economics students earned first place at the inaugural Finance Pitch Cup, a competitive mergers and acquisitions (M&A) pitch event designed to give students real-world exposure to investment banking and corporate finance. The event was presented by Dean Dorton and Roebling Capital Partners.
The Pitch Cup brought together student teams from the University of Kentucky, Xavier University and the University of Cincinnati for a high-level, case-based competition. Teams were tasked with developing and presenting a full M&A pitch for a regional defense contractor specializing in ground-based defense systems.
The winning Gatton team included finance and accounting majors Jackson McDonner, Ethan Blevins, Garrett Weiler, Dylan Moore, Ivey Redd and Ana Cortes, all members of programs such as Wall Street Scholars, Pelissier Scholars and the Finance Society.
The competition itself was student-driven from the start. The idea for the Pitch Cup emerged over the summer when McDonner, Weiler and Cortes were working in the M&A Group at Dean Dorton, led by Gatton alumnus and Finance Advisory Board Member Keith Carlson. Carlson proposed creating an event that would spotlight regional talent and student interest in investment banking. The students worked alongside him to develop the structure and expectations for what would become the Pitch Cup.
To prepare, the Gatton team built a comprehensive financial model and developed a detailed, 40-page presentation deck analyzing the target company, its industry landscape and potential transaction outcomes. On competition day, students presented their pitch to a panel of judges with decades of industry experience, followed by an extended question-and-answer session covering topics such as market positioning, valuation assumptions and tax considerations for ownership.
For participants, the experience mirrored the intensity and rigor of real-world investment banking work.
“Overall, it was a great experience as we got to work together as a team and represent the University of Kentucky while gaining experience in the field we are all pursuing careers in,” said Garrett Weiler, a member of the Gatton team.
In addition to the technical preparation, the event created meaningful connections between students and alumni. While several team members had previously worked with Carlson and interacted with him through the Wall Street Scholars program, the Pitch Cup expanded their professional network by introducing them to other UK alumni and industry professionals serving as judges.
As the inaugural winner, the University of Kentucky has been invited to return next year to defend its title. Plans are already underway to expand the Pitch Cup to include additional universities across the region, further strengthening the competition’s reach and impact.
