When Binance launched its Case Problem in India in late 2024, the thought was to check how classroom studying could possibly be utilized to real-world blockchain issues. The inaugural version drew 61 groups from 10 main enterprise colleges, together with the IIMs and FMS Delhi, with the highest three presenting their methods to Binance’s world management.
Staff Futures from IIM Bangalore, comprising Aviral Verma, Riya Katiyar, and Prajwal S Belagavi (PGP 2025), clinched the nationwide title with a user-first, forward-looking technique that mixed training, AI, storytelling, and gamification, ending forward of IIM Lucknow’s Staff HODL and FMS Delhi’s Crypto Crusaders.
Past the textbook
For Staff Futures, the problem stood out as a result of it broke away from the retrospective nature of typical classroom case research. “Most B-school circumstances look again at selections made by corporations up to now,” the crew defined. “This was forward-looking, rooted in India’s present crypto training panorama, and left house for us to chart our personal method.”
The crew highlighted how the tempo and uncertainty of the blockchain sector formed their considering. “Rules and compliance norms can shift shortly, so our options needed to account for change as a lot as for alternative,” they mentioned.
Their closing submission targeted on crypto training in regional languages, distributed via acquainted platforms like WhatsApp, and a 24/7 AI-driven assist agent to information new customers via Binance’s platform whereas flagging dangers. These concepts had been supported by a layered technique round consumer personas, trust-building, and cultural relevance.
Binance’s perspective on Season 1
For Binance, the Case Problem was designed to transcend surface-level engagement.
“Schooling is the important thing lever for mass adoption,” mentioned Kushal Manupati, Regional Development & Ops Lead for South Asia at Binance, who was additionally on the jury for the problem.
He underlined why India was chosen for the inaugural version: “India isn’t simply a big consumer market. It’s a hub of thought management in rising applied sciences. By beginning with high B-schools, we might faucet into mental capital that approached blockchain from the bottom up, with user-first insights quite than summary principle.”
On Staff Futures’ proposal, Manupati pointed to its steadiness of ambition and feasibility. The layered plan, combining training, AI assist, and trust-building, aligned carefully with Binance’s roadmap. “It was executable within the close to time period, and what stood out was their sensitivity to India’s range, each regional and user-based,” he mentioned.
Reflecting on Season 1 total, he added, “The problem helped make blockchain tangible for college kids. It decentralised innovation displaying that concepts related to India’s digital panorama don’t have to come back from world hubs, however from campuses right here. It additionally gave us a glimpse of the form of expertise that would contribute to the business sooner or later.”
Classes for the members
For the three members of Staff Futures, the competitors additionally marked completely different private entry factors into crypto. Whereas Riya had by no means invested in crypto earlier than, Aviral had been an early retail investor, and Prajwal had labored on blockchain via open-source initiatives. That blend, they mentioned, formed the crew’s method and gave them a variety of views.
“We introduced our concepts inside our present workplaces after the competitors, and it sparked conversations there as properly,” the crew shared.
Looking forward to Season 2.0
With Season 2 scheduled for late 2025, Binance plans to increase the format. In keeping with Manupati, the following version can be “extra immersive” with entry to Web3 mentors, sandbox environments, and alternatives for members to pilot their options.
“We additionally wish to broaden participation throughout geographies and disciplines. The intersection of expertise, coverage, and enterprise is the place the following breakthroughs will come from,” he mentioned.
His message to college students contemplating the problem was direct: “Web3 isn’t reserved for coders or crypto insiders. For those who’re curious and prepared to construct, that is your sandbox.”
Staff Futures had their very own recommendation for future members: maintain options user-centric, be prepared to step exterior your consolation zone, and don’t assume prior crypto experience is important. “A contemporary perspective may be simply as beneficial as deep technical data,” they mentioned.
The Binance Case Problem started as an experiment in bridging school rooms and crypto. With its first Indian version, it delivered insights for each college students and the corporate. As Season 2 approaches, the initiative is about to check not simply concepts, however the capacity to translate them into real-world impression.
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