Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], January 21: The National Finals of ACUMO Finathon 2025–26, a finance and business planning competition for school students, concluded recently, underscoring a growing emphasis on financial literacy and decision-making skills at the school level.

The National Finals were hosted at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. Finalists arrived on campus on 17th January and stayed overnight in the institute’s hostels. The immersive two-day experience combined exposure to campus life at one of India’s most prestigious institutions with the competitive rigour of the finals.

Positioned as a first-of-its-kind initiative in India, ACUMO Finathon was conceptualised by Abhishek Anand, Founder of Mentors Capital, and Faiz Azim, Chief Product and Growth Officer at Playo — both alumni of IIM Bangalore. The founders conceived the competition to address a gap in school education by introducing students to structured financial thinking and business planning at an early stage, irrespective of their academic stream.

Articulating the philosophy behind the initiative, the ACUMO team noted, “Financial education should be treated as a core life skill, not a niche academic subject. The ability to understand risk, make informed choices, and evaluate long-term outcomes is essential for all students, regardless of discipline. ACUMO aims to introduce these capabilities early through practical, experience-led learning.”

The finals were judged by Prof. Jayadev, Chairperson, Centre for Capital Markets and Risk Assessment at IIM Bangalore, and Anuj Singhal, Partner and Head of Risk Management Practice at EY.

Commenting on the quality of participation, Prof. Jayadev said,

“The ability of school students to engage with financial and business concepts at this level was well beyond expectations. Their analytical rigour and clarity of thought were particularly noteworthy.”

Anuj Singhal added,

“What stood out was the confidence with which the teams presented and defended complex ideas. It was especially striking to see such maturity in presentations from students as young as Grade 9.”

The National Winners were Nakul Srinivas and Rohan Rajeev from Inventure Academy, Bengaluru.

The First Runners-Up position was shared by two teams: Bhavya Agrawal and Anirudh Banga from Jamnabai Narsee School, Mumbai, and Mahi Shah and Shrinjit Ghosh from Poddar International School, Mumbai.

Reflecting on the experience, Anirudh Banga, a Grade 11 Science stream student from JNS, Mumbai, said,

“Despite coming from a science background, the Finathon helped me appreciate how financial thinking applies across domains. The experience was both engaging and intellectually rewarding.”

ACUMO Finathon was conducted in collaboration with the IIM Bangalore Alumni team and saw significant participation from the alumni community in mentoring and evaluation roles.

Beyond the competition, the initiative aligns with a broader shift among schools to supplement traditional curricula with experiential learning that equips students with real-world decision-making capabilities.

As discussions around financial preparedness and life skills gain momentum in education policy and school pedagogy, initiatives such as ACUMO Finathon reflect an emerging model for integrating applied finance and business thinking into school education.

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