Competing and cooperating for financial inclusion

Jacob Zybura (BBA ’26) and Grace Kloster (BBA ’26) both know how natural disasters can damage lives.

Growing up, Zybura was affected by Superstorm Sandy, which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic area of the U.S. in late October 2012. Kloster is from Kansas, in the region known as Tornado Alley due to the storms’ frequency and severity. Both have friends who were affected by devastating fires in Los Angeles in 2025.

This personal connection inspired the two to team up and enter the 2026 Grow the Good in Business™ Case Competition, motivated by its challenge to imagine how faster payment technologies such as stablecoins can support the long-term wellbeing of businesses, people and communities. In this annual competition hosted by the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, Notre Dame undergraduate and graduate students compete with other teams before a panel of judges with written and oral solutions to a social impact business challenge. 

“Natural disasters affect everyone equally, but people are in different positions in how they can respond to them,” said Kloster, a business analytics and sociology major. “That's where we got our idea for emergency disbursements.”

Their team, called Golden Access, won first place in the undergraduate division by developing a disaster relief platform that delivers faster, more equitable aid using stablecoin technology. Stablecoin is cryptocurrency that generally maintains a stable value relative to a specified asset or pool of assets. A growing number of transactions involve stablecoins and their use is increasingly regulated by governments.

The 2026 competition drew teams from across the University of Notre Dame: 27 graduate students across four programs and 26 undergraduates representing all five Mendoza majors plus five different colleges on campus.

“The student talent on display was staggering,” said Kristen Collett-Schmitt, founder of the case competition and associate dean for Mendoza’s undergraduate and specialized master’s programs. “This was probably our most complex topic. I am really proud of the fact that the students elevated their understanding of something that will become increasingly important in our economy over time.”

Team 1, the winning graduate student team, was also compelled by expediting and easing disaster recovery. Some 40% of businesses never reopen after a disaster, and solutions like loans, microfinance and grants can be slow or expensive. Team members and first-year Notre Dame MBA students Alex Etienne, Bridge Bach, Lauren Suga and Gabe Ohliger addressed these gaps through a fully backed, programmable stablecoin that sends businesses funds within 72 hours.

The team combined instant funding, controlled spending and a capital model where repaid loans are recycled into future disaster responses. Funds are raised from donors, investors and corporations, then invested across government bonds, cash reserves and loans, generating both financial returns and social impact.

Three teams in each division reached the finals. Undergraduate third-place team Credit Halo addressed raising credit scores to increase participation in traditional financial markets, while second-place undergraduate team Competitive Advantage took on domestic violence and how stablecoin could provide survivors access to capital during a life-changing emergency.

“It is a problem we desperately need to solve, though I never thought to connect stablecoin to it,” said Collett-Schmitt. “Ultimately, the natural disaster cases struck an ideal balance of compassion and feasibility, which made it highly appealing to the judges.”

Innovation for impact

Past case competitions have addressed financial literacy, healthcare and childcare. The idea for this year's topic came from David Dwumah (MSA ’03), founder and CEO of OurFiin, which offers equitable, sustainable and inclusive financial technology products and services to underserved communities. Originally from Ghana, Dwumah has always sent money home to his family through remittances, which involves a lot of complexity. Dwumah was looking for researchers from his alma mater to collaborate with him on stablecoin and other digital currency concepts. Collett-Schmitt invited him to be a case competition partner and exchange ideas with Notre Dame students through their project work.

“We are looking to have a dialogue about these wicked social problems and how business plays a role in solving them. That shared drive for financial inclusion fit perfectly with the case competition,” she said. “It was great for David, as an alum, to come back and integrate with the community.”

To develop their business plans, teams began by selecting a use case for fast payments, such as emergency disbursements, diaspora remittances, gig economy payroll or benefit payments, and designed a stablecoin-powered financial service or product that addresses a real-world challenge. Their work had to demonstrate how stablecoin payment technology can be deployed responsibly and effectively in the current regulatory environment.

Contributions from across college, campus and community

The case competition depends on input and effort from many corners of Notre Dame’s community. Collett-Schmitt credits Mendoza partners, including the Fitzgerald Institute for Real Estate, the Notre Dame Institute for Global Investing, Notre Dame Center for Ethical Leadership and Fanning Center for Business Communication, for their partnership and participation. 

“They bring a huge network of students, crucial expertise and educational and pedagogical support, not just financial backing,” she said. “We genuinely could not do this without them.”

Local organizations 1st Source Bank and Beacon Health System provided strong support again this year, along with KPMG, the longest-serving and biggest sponsor.

“Serving as a judge this year reinforced for me the exceptional caliber of talent in Mendoza and the creativity students bring to solving real-world issues,” said David Augustyn, partner at KPMG. “Our partnership with Notre Dame and specifically with this program continues to be incredibly valuable as we connect with future leaders who think critically about the intersection of business performance and societal impact.”

For the first time, Visa played a major role. Ryan McInerney (BBA ’97), chief executive officer of Visa, is an alumnus. Five representatives came to campus for the event to serve as judges or to host networking opportunities for students.

“Employer partners get a front-row seat to the incredible talent that our students have,” said Chris Frank-Lieberg, director of external engagement at Mendoza. The College’s expanded career success and external engagement staff played a larger role in this year’s competition and organizers see plenty of opportunity to ensure that this touches every student who's interested and that more employers and alumni get involved.

“That has always been my goal, for the competition to feature a professional development, career-oriented aspect where we connect like-minded companies and students who share similar career priorities,” said Collett-Schmitt. “With their help, we'll be able to make it more than just a case competition.”