First Australians Capital was invited to participate in the 2025 Australian University Business Case Competition (AUBCC), which this year featured one of our customers — Bush to Bowl — as the subject of the case study. Each year, the AUBCC brings together university students from across the globe for a week-long challenge — a chance to put their business strategy skills to the test on real-world case studies.
This year, the second challenge saw teams dive into the story of Bush to Bowl. Founded by Clarence Bruinsma (Yaegl) and Adam Byrne (Garigal), Bush to Bowl is a First Nations-owned social enterprise with a mission to connect communities through native foods and culture. Students were tasked with developing strategies to help the business grow its impact — blending commercial thinking with cultural understanding in a powerful, purpose-driven brief.
FAC’s team members Ruairidh Anderson (Impact Lead) and Tamika Vukadinovic (Business Relationships Lead) attended the competition as judges for the university entrant pitches. The event involved 16 university teams, comprising 12 international and 4 Australian teams, each tasked with designing a one-page five-year strategy for Bush to Bowl. The aim was to develop a practical, implementable roadmap that aligned with Bush to Bowl’s aspirations — how to prioritise the right target verticals and create a longer-term plan for establishing a cultural centre with eco-tourism potential, whilst retaining the fundamental principles of education around edible Australian Native plants.
Through coordination between FAC and the AUBCC program organisers, Bush to Bowl co-founder Adam and his sister, Operations Manager Melissa Byrne, were invited to attend the competition in person in Melbourne. They provided firsthand insights into Bush to Bowl’s challenges, opportunities, and unique business model directly to the student teams. Adam and Melissa also participated as judges, engaging directly with the teams during their strategy presentations.
The format involved four pools of judges, each reviewing four universities, with students delivering 15-minute, conversational-style presentations of their strategic recommendations. The four pools provided ranked results with points added to the ongoing tally of the week-long competition.
A key outcome of Bush to Bowl’s participation was that they were provided with all 16 pitch decks produced by the competing teams. These documents represent 16 unique perspectives on Bush to Bowl’s growth potential, strategic priorities, and opportunities for diversification. These were top universities with diverse strategic thinking; effectively, 64 highly skilled minds performing a consulting dive over an intense 3-hour window.
Bush to Bowl’s involvement in the AUBCC was an excellent example of how partnerships between FAC, educational institutions, and our Indigenous customers can create mutual value. It can be considered an accelerated and alternative variant of capacity building, made possible by FAC’s ongoing partnership with Monash University’s Business School. The engagement not only provided meaningful exposure and learning for the students but also equipped Bush to Bowl with a wealth of different strategic insights to support their next phase of growth.
If you would like to learn more about Bush to Bowl and their initiative, click here.
