Overview
The INSEAD Negotiation Cup: Compete. Connect. Create Value
The INSEAD Negotiation Cup (IN.Cup), launched by the Negotiation and Conflict Management Collaborative (NCMC), is the inaugural school-wide negotiation competition designed to unite participants across the INSEAD community, test strategic negotiation capabilities, and identify emerging ambassadors of negotiation excellence.
The 2025 IN.Cup journey included:
Registration: Early October 2025
Round 1: Online qualifiers in October 2025
Final Round & Awards: In-person finals at the INSEAD Middle East Campus in Abu Dhabi, 24–25 November 2025
From more than 100 registrants and 30 teams worldwide, eight finalist teams—four in each category—advanced to compete in Abu Dhabi. Their performance in the qualifiers demonstrated exceptional analytical skill, collaboration, and resilience.
🏆Finals & Winners
Heartfelt congratulations to the two finalist teams for their exceptional achievement, and warm congratulations to the inaugural IN.Cup champions on their outstanding performance!
Winners of IN.Cup 2025 - Student Category
- Team NegoNation - Ryan Voon, Sayantan Banerjee, Shirley Zong
- Team Value Negotiators - Laure Savant-Ros, Lucien Merhej, Jean-Philippe Serhal
- Team Seven - Danni Co, Clay Lin, Nguyen Duc Dung
Winners of IN.Cup 2025 - Open Category
- Team Split Happens - Neeraj Verliani, Tom Jansen
- Team Faro ME - Ankit Vijayavargiya, Renan Gamel, Ahmed Khalid
- Team Kautilya - Gunmeet Singh, Piyush Bajpai, Vivek Kakar
IN.Cup 2025 - Finalist Teams & Judges
(Student) Team Win Diesels - Aliaa Fanidi, Amal Alfaris
(Open) Koala on a Peak - Bhavya Arora, Koala Le Chu, Erik-Jan de Boer
Judges: Andre Doria, Anja Merz, Ankit Kedia, Carolina Lima, Kriti Jain, Sebastian Schäfer, Roderick Swaab, Rodrigo Gouveia-Oliveira, and Ricardo Diaz Gallardo — Deep gratitude to the judges for their time, expertise, and insights.
IN.Cup 2025 Photo Gallery
Competition Format & Criteria
Competition Categories
Student: INSEAD MBA, MIM, MFIN, PhD students
Open: INSEAD EMBA, EMC, DP/EDP alumni, staff, and faculty. Students eligible for the Student Category may opt into the Open Category but may not participate in both.
Competition Structure
Round 1 – Qualifiers (Online)
The Round 1 Virtual Qualifier serves as the semi-final stage. From here, top teams per category advance to the finals.
- Open to all INSEAD alumni, students, faculty and staff.
- Each team must have three members from the same category.
- Each team negotiates three cases with different randomly assigned teams from the same category.
- Teams must upload:
- Zoom transcripts of each negotiation
- Agreed outcomes via the IN.Cup platform
- Scoring: 70% Outcome + 30% Relationship
- Top 4 teams per category advance to Round 2.
Round 2 – Finals
The Final Round will be conducted in person:
- Live negotiations in front of a panel of judges.
- Each finalist team negotiates three new cases.
- Judges (academics and senior professionals) observe and score.
- Scoring: 1/3 Outcome + 1/3 Relationship + 1/3 Judges’ Evaluation
- Teams must arrange their own travel and accommodation.
IN.Cup Rules & Regulations
Awards & Pathways to Representation
Through a series of team-based negotiation rounds, the IN.Cup offers participants a meaningful opportunity to:
Compete, learn, and grow in a dynamic academic environment.
Be identified and coached as high-potential negotiators to represent INSEAD at international competitions.
Strengthen INSEAD’s global leadership in negotiation and conflict management.
Build deeper connections across the INSEAD community.Inspire future research, teaching innovation, and case development.
Modelled on best practices from The Negotiation Challenge (TNC)—one of the world’s premier negotiation competitions—the IN.Cup equips participants with invaluable skills while highlighting INSEAD’s commitment to excellence and innovation.
Awards
Best Overall Team (Gold, Silver, Bronze) per category
Winners, along with other outstanding negotiators identified through the competition, will be invited to join the INSEAD Negotiation Team (IN.Team) and receive coaching from INSEAD faculty to represent the school in future international negotiation competitions.
Organising Committee
IN.Cup Organising Committee
Professor of Management Practice of Decision Sciences
Professor of Organisational Behaviour
Professor of Organisational Behaviour
Negotiation Advisor and Professor
Zeina Sleiman MAP S/F'12Aug
Director of Alumni Engagement and Learning, Advancement
Centre Manager
Key Dates & Timeline (Historical)
How to Participate in the Next IN.Cup - A Recap of the 2025 Process
| Date | Activity |
| 8 October 2025 | Registration opens |
| 13 October 2025 | Registration closes |
| 17 - 28 October 2025 (11:59 p.m. Singapore time) | Round 1: Online Qualifiers via Zoom |
| 2 November 2025 | Announcement of Finalists |
| 24 - 25 November 2025 | Round 2: In-Person Finals & Awards |
Registration
To ensure a smooth registration process, please watch the video guide below before proceeding. It provides a clear, step-by-step walkthrough of how to register and form your team.
Registration Tips:
Team Leaders: Create your Team Name and use the Manage Members feature to add your teammates once they’ve registered.
Team Members: Simply register and notify your Team Leader. You do not need to create a Team Name.
Website Access: For smoother access, please use a non-INSEAD network (such as your personal Wi-Fi or mobile connection) when accessing the registration website. INSEAD’s internal network security settings may limit access to external platforms.
Registration for the 2025 edition is now closed. Stay tuned for the next edition!
FAQs & Get Involved
Who can participate?
Any INSEAD student, alumni, staff, or faculty member.
Do I need prior negotiation experience?
No. The IN.Cup is designed to be both educational and competitive.
Is English required?
Yes, all negotiations must be conducted in English.
Can we use AI tools in prep?
Yes, external sources (including GenAI) are allowed during preparation phases, but not during the negotiation.
What happens if I miss a round?
Teams that miss sessions or fail to submit results face automatic penalties.
What costs are involved?
Round 1 is online (no costs). Finalist teams are responsible for their own travel and accommodation for Abu Dhabi.
When are final results published?
Winners will be announced during the closing event on 25 November, and the final results will be published shortly after the event.
Get Involved
Join the Next Challenge
Whether you’re a participant, coach, judge, or industry partner, the IN.Cup welcomes everyone passionate about advancing negotiation excellence.
Stay Updated
Subscribe to the NCMC mailing list to receive announcements about the next IN.Cup and other NCMC programmes and events.
Become a Partner or Sponsor
Support the development of negotiation capabilities worldwide.
Stay Connected & Get Involved
For partnership or sponsorship opportunities, or for any additional queries or clarifications, please contact the NCMC team at:
