Eighty-five submissions. Four top-tier finalist teams from prestigious MBA schools. One global stage.
Our team, Team Barcelona from IESE, is thrilled to announce that we emerged as the winners of the INSEAD Product Games in Singapore! The first team from IESE in the 9-year history of the competition to be selected as finalists and emerge as winners!
This wasn’t just a case competition; it was a deep dive into the complexities of the Southeast Asian tech landscape, especially with a giant tech leader, Grab. It pushed us beyond our comfort zones and proved that with the right team, deep empathy for the user, and a little bit of AI magic, anything is possible. Here’s a look back at our journey, from a late-night idea in the IESE cafeteria to the winning pitch on the Asia campus of INSEAD.
This experience was truly one of the highlights of our MBA so far!
The Motivation: A Shared Curiosity for Tech
Our team came together through a shared interest in the dynamic world of technology and product management. While we all hail from different backgrounds, none of us came from a pure tech or software engineering role.
Uday was the glue that brought us together. As a classmate of Hanif in the Barcelona section and Monica from BSP (Business Spanish Program) classes, he saw the potential in combining our diverse perspectives. We entered the competition eager to test our skills and see if our ideas could stand up to real-world scrutiny.
The Task: Maximizing the Grab Ecosystem
The challenge itself was a happy coincidence. We were tasked with creating a new vertical proposition for Grab, Southeast Asia’s leading super-app.
For Monica and Hanif, this hit close to home. Having grown up in the region, they were both avid Grab users and intimately familiar with its impact on daily life. This personal connection fueled our dedication to finding a solution that wasn’t just a new feature, but a genuine value-add for the company and its users.
It was exciting to present our idea, GrabTrade to the judges in Singapore.
Our winning concept, GrabTrade, was born from this understanding. We proposed a new B2B vertical leveraging Grab’s existing super-app ecosystem to solve a massive problem: the “Low-Margin Distribution Crisis” faced by distributors and traditional retail stores like the Warung in Indonesia and Sari-Sari store in the Philippines.
The Finals: A 20-Hour Commute to Victory
Getting to the finals was an adventure in itself. The journey from Barcelona to Singapore was a grueling 20-hour trek one way.
But, luck was on our side. Our flight from Doha to Singapore was practically empty and equipped with Wi-Fi. We turned the cabin into a makeshift office, using every hour to refine our presentation, sharpen our financial models, and polish our pitch deck.
The long journey was instantly worth it upon arriving. The energy in Singapore was incredible. It was an invaluable opportunity to meet talented MBA students from top global schools, present our ideas on a major stage, and network with product leaders from industry giants like Google, Stripe, and of course, Grab.
Challenges & Highlights: Vibe Coding Our Way to Success
Our biggest hurdle was our lack of technical background. The final round required us to present a functional product mock-up, a daunting task for a team without a developer.
This is where we had to get creative. We leaned into the advancements of the time and successfully “vibe coded” a working prototype using AI tools. It was a thrilling moment to see our concept come to life on screen, proving that technical barriers are lower than ever for those willing to innovate.
The highlight, beyond the win, was the incredible validation we received from the judges for our approach. Reflecting on the experience, our success came down to a few core lessons that we’ll carry forward in our careers.
It was amazing to be announced as the winning team, and there are many valuable lessons we will take forward with us!
1. Pinning Down the Idea Takes Time (But That’s Okay):
We only learned about the competition two weeks before the deadline, and we didn’t settle on our final idea until four days before submission. For Monica, her background in Southeast Asian FMCG was crucial. She knew the problem was real and significant. It took time to find the right angle, but the pressure helped us focus.
2. Local Insight is Key:
This was our most powerful tool. We didn’t just build a deck; we went to the source. We spoke directly with actual distributors, Sari-Sari store owners, and Warung proprietors. These conversations provided the qualitative data and deep empathy that proved to the judges our proposition wasn’t just a theory—it was a solution that would work in the real world.
3. Innovation Doesn’t Always Mean “New”:
Our pitch wasn’t about inventing radically new technology. It was about smart innovation—maximizing Grab’s existing, powerful portfolio of services (logistics, payments, data) and finding a massive, untapped opportunity within it. True innovation often comes from connecting existing dots in a new way.
4. Mentors Are Invaluable:
We couldn’t do this alone. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to our mentors. Thank you to Professor Liinus Hietaniemi for your expert guidance, to Miguel from the 2nd-year cohort for teaching Hanif how to use Loveable, and to our dedicated Grab mentor, Zeling Xu. Your feedback was instrumental in sharpening our pitch and helping us nail the all-important product market fit.
A Note to Prospective IESE Participants & Applicants: Just Go for It
To any future IESE students hesitating to enter a competition like this, our advice is simple: seize the opportunity.
We started this journey with imposter syndrome, worrying that our lack of technical backgrounds would hold us back against engineering-heavy teams. But we quickly learned that the diversity of thought in an IESE cohort is a superpower. These competitions are the ultimate sandbox to apply what we learn in class, test our resilience, and expand our global networks. Don’t let uncertainty stop you. Lean on your classmates, utilize the school’s incredible professors and mentors, and embrace the challenge. The growth you’ll experience—win or lose—is immeasurable.
This victory is a testament to the power of diverse teams, the value of deep customer empathy, and the exciting possibilities that arise when you combine strong business acumen with the latest technological tools. We’re excited to see what’s next!
— Team Barcelona
Written by Monica Belen, Hanif Ramadhan, Uday Govil (MBA Class of 2027)
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