A team of four Dordt University students earned a national runner-up finish at the Georgia State University Business Valuation Competition, placing 2nd among 34 universities from across the country—including major research institutions and nationally recognized business schools.
The November 15–16 event in Atlanta is considered one of the most demanding undergraduate finance competitions in the U.S. Teams are challenged to determine the market value of a real private company, a process made significantly more challenging by limited data and the absence of public market pricing. Five teams advanced to the finals and presented in person at Georgia State’s Buckhead campus.
This was Dordt’s first year competing.
Dordt’s team—Caleb Smit of Orange City, Caden Koole of Windsor, Colorado, Sam Zylstra of Plymouth, Minnesota, and Nolan Karel of Grandville, Michigan—all double-majors in accounting and finance—advanced to the final round and ultimately secured 2nd place overall, outperforming several graduate-level programs.
The students are part of Defender Capital Management, Dordt’s student-run investment fund, in which senior analysts conduct research and trade stocks across major indexes using professional-grade analysis.
Team member Sam Zylstra says the competition pushed them into the complexities of valuing a real private company.
He says representing Dordt on a national stage was especially meaningful.
Zylstra says the field captured his imagination long before he arrived at Dordt.
In addition to the competition, Dordt students spent two days networking with valuation professionals, corporate recruiters, and peers from across the country—an opportunity usually reserved for graduate cohorts.
Dordt was the only institution from Iowa, Nebraska, or South Dakota to compete.
The featured photo is courtesy of Dordt University
