Digital Assets Research Competition 2026: Phase 1
Build an investment thesis. Defend it live.
The Bentley Blockchain Association and Bentley Alternative Investments Group, in partnership with Allium, are hosting a research competition culminating in a live pitch at Bentley Fintech Day 2026 on April 1st.
Teams of 1–4 will research a digital asset of their choice (long positions, >$250M market cap), submit a 5-page investment thesis, and compete for a $1,500 prize pool. The top 5 teams advance to present in-person to a panel of industry judges. All team members must sign up for this lu.ma.
View the competition memo here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YgXNYWXDci1A8yi7cuaMOj7X4X9dsWXUs3TcwRtHrro/edit?usp=sharing
THIS LUMA SERVES AS REGISTRATION FOR THE RESEARCH COMPETITION. YOU MUST ALSO SIGN UP FOR THE MAIN EVENT HERE: https://luma.com/tnf70tsm
Prize pool 1st — $1,000 · 2nd — $300 · 3rd — $200
Key dates
Sign-up opens — March 19
Kick-off call — March 24 @ 5PM EST
Allium onboarding call — March 26 @ 4PM EST
Written report due — March 29 @ 11:59PM EST
Finalists notified — March 30 @ 11:59PM EST
Live pitch — April 1, 12:00–1:00 PM @ La Cava EDR, Bentley University
Data access — required before you start All participants must register for Allium data access at academia.allium.so. Allium is the competition's data partner — your thesis will be judged in part on how well you integrate onchain data. Register before the kick-off call on March 24.
We'll host an Allium onboarding call on Thursday March 26 @ 4PM EST to walk through the platform, plus office hours as needed. Details will be shared after sign-up.
Stay connected Join the competition GroupMe for updates, questions, and announcements throughout the event: groupme.com/join_group/113883332/fdissll9
Submit written reports to blockchain@bentley.edu by March 29 @ 11:59PM. To participate, you must plan to attend Bentley Fintech Day 2026 on April 1.