April 22, 2025 | Claire Hall

BAPM Grad Students Take First-Place in InsurTech NY Case Competition

The successful UConn team competed against other graduate students from Florida State University, the University of Iowa, and St. Joseph’s University. The event was judged by insurance professionals and the UConn students will share a $2,500 scholarship.

Left to Right, Elia Cocoli, Professor John Wilson, and Rehaan Ahamed at the Insurtech NY Student Case Competition, where UConn took home first place. (Contributed Photo)

Left to Right, Elia Cocoli, Professor John Wilson, and Rehaan Ahamed at the Insurtech NY Student Case Competition, where UConn took home first place. (Contributed Photo)

A UConn Business Analytics and Project Management (MSBAPM) team brought home the first-place award in the inaugural InsurTech NY Student Case Competition earlier this month, outshining ‘brilliant minds and razor-sharp pitches.’

“All the teams were incredible,’’ said Elia Cocoli who represented UConn with friend and classmate Rehaan Ahamed. Both graduate students will earn their degrees in May. “I think we won because of our delivery. We were comfortable with our presentation, brought a great deal of energy, and felt very relaxed on the stage,’’ she said.

Ahamed agreed.

“We tried to make our presentation relatable and engaging. We made sure everything on our slides was relevant. It was more of a conversation than a presentation, and we were determined to enjoy ourselves, win or lose,’’ he said.

Task Involved Disrupting Insurance Fraud

The team was tasked with reducing fraud in the insurance industry. Cocoli and Ahamed suggested a series of application that could address fraud, and proposed a cross-industry data base, aided by artificial intelligence, that would help identify and flag serial fraudsters.

The successful UConn team competed against other graduate students from Florida State University, the University of Iowa, and St. Joseph’s University. The event was judged by insurance professionals and the UConn students will share a $2,500 scholarship.

In order to enter the InsurTech NY competition, Cocoli and Ahamed first competed against other UConn teams. Because they had completed many presentations together, they were comfortable as a team and knew each other’s strengths.

“We practiced a lot and that was a gamechanger,’’ Cocoli said. “The best takeaway for me was the confidence boost. This is the first time I’ve spoken in front of a large audience. It was such a positive experience. I realized that I can do this.’’

“Opportunities like this require our students to apply their learnings in a real-world way, gain important leadership skills, and showcase the talent we have at UConn,’’ said Laurissa Berk, director of Global and Experiential Education, who organized the pre-competition. “The students came in with a phenomenal idea based on their knowledge of industry and we are so proud they came out with the win!’’

UConn Is a Sought-After Competitor

Professor John Wilson, the academic director for the FinTech program, advised the team. He has also been instrumental in creating the InsurTech NY event and said he hopes the case competition will grow into a national event.

“We have had extensive talks with the University of Iowa and, because of UConn’s continual visibility at industry conferences, we have more and more universities and companies seeking to partner with us,’’ Wilson said. “It is typically the very best students who participate in competitions like this, and UConn continues to establish itself as a program of excellence.’’

Both Competition Winners Seeking Jobs With Impact

Cocoli, who earned her bachelors in business analytics at UConn and then enrolled in the accelerated MSBAPM graduate program, is interviewing with a prominent company. She said her UConn education has been outstanding.

“In my Generative AI class, professor Jing Peng is teaching us things that aren’t even known to the public yet. We are learning things before many experts in the industry. Everything is very new, very fresh,’’ she said. “I have developed a great network and connections. There are so many opportunities now for people with business analytics expertise.’’

Ahamed, who earned both his bachelor’s degree and MBA in India, said he is looking to work for a company that is invested in transformative progress.

“My career goals center around creating impact and positive change, whether for an organization or a customer. That’s what motivates me,’’ he said.

Ahamed said he and Cocoli decided to enter the competition on the last day of eligibility and he’s glad they did. “I was the optimist and she was the realist. We balanced each other out,’’ he said. “We are grateful for the experience, and that we could represent UConn and bring home the championship.’’