IPADE Participants Win the Wharton Latin America Private Equity Competition

On March 24, 2018, two participants from IPADE participated in the 8th edition of the Wharton Latin America Private Equity Competition, hosted at Wharton Business School. Thirteen student teams participated in the competition, including teams from the Darden School of Business, Emory Goizueta Business School, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, Haas School of Business, Michigan Ross School of Business, Rotman School of Management, Columbia Business School, and Wharton School of Business.

Felipe Kuhlmann Latapi and Humberto Andrade Gómez, members of the Full-Time MBA Class of 2016-2018, were selected to participate in the competition based on a two-pager that they previously submitted. Each selected team was then invited to present their investment plan to a panel of investment professionals from the region in the hopes of winning the USD $2,500 top prize.

Following weeks of research on the company and its industry, Mr. Kuhlmann Latapi and Mr. Andrade Gómez were required to present their investment thesis regarding Médica Sur S.A.B de C.V. to the panel of expert judges. One of the objectives of the Wharton Latin America Private Equity Competition is to give Full-Time MBA participants a chance to engage with private equity professionals, and the 2018 judges panel featured Stephen Sammut (Lecturer, Wharton Business School), Peter Tropper (Chair, Emerging Markets Private Equity Association), Sarah Bennani (Associate Investment Officer, IFC International Finance Corporation), Juan Goicochea (Vice president, Nexus), and Germán Montoya (Partner, Rokk3r Venture Capital).

The competition involved three different rounds, one virtual and two in-person. Each round involved a different presentation format and time, and the depth of the judge’s questions varied during each one. Once each team had presented, the judges announced Felipe Kuhlmann Latapi and Humberto Andrade Gómez as the winners of the 2018 competition.

“Our experience at IPADE was fundamental to winning this competition,” said Felipe Kuhlmann Latapi. “Particularly the opportunity to spend a semester abroad at an international business schools and the other exchange programs that IPADE offers. Plus, the recognition and credibility that the IPADE program has in Mexico also allowed us to engage in a truly in-depth analysis of the case.”

“This was definitely a chance for us to put what we’ve learned during our two years at IPADE into practice,” added Humberto Andrade Gómez. “The competition really tested our skills and helped us realize the importance of continuing our educations.”

Ernesto Bolio Barajas, Director of the Full-Time MBA, said, “We firmly believe that opportunities such as the Latin America Private Equity Competition add to the MBA participant experience and help provide participants with a truly global business perspective. One of the objectives of this competition is to generate collaboration and connection among the participants of MBA programs from various business schools around the world, and we believe that it was thoroughly successful.”

IPADE is proud of each and every MBA participant that demonstrates their skills and strengths in international competitions, and also recognizes the enormous responsibility involved in working to address the challenges presented by the current global context while maintaining a focus on the individual and on social responsibility.