Business Case Studies & Business Publications

The Summit AI Fund: Circuit

Belmi, Peter, Maid...

Case

The Summit AI Fund: Circuit

Belmi, Peter; Maiden, Stephen E.

OB-1492 | Published May 30, 2025 | 5 Pages Case

Collection: Darden School of Business

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The competition for power and resources is a defining feature of organizational life. But what could leaders do when they’re on the receiving end of a power play, or when they need to make one themselves? In this exercise, participants take on the role of CEO at one of three rival AI robotics firms—APEX, Blueprint, or Circuit—competing for a major grant from the Summit AI Fund (SAIF), a joint initiative of the US government and private investors. The catch: No single firm can receive funding alone. Therefore, the CEOs must navigate a tense, strategic negotiation to form a consortium while fiercely protecting their firm’s interests in a cutthroat market. With investors and board members watching closely, and downstream opportunities worth hundreds of millions at stake, every decision carries weight. At Darden, this exercise is used in a popular second-year elective, “Paths to Power,” a course on building power and navigating workplace politics in competitive and hierarchical organizations. This exercise gives students an opportunity to test their skills, experiment with power moves, and reflect on the dynamics of competition and its ethical dilemmas. It is also well suited for courses covering topics such as negotiation, competitive strategy, influence, coalition building, decision-making, game theory, and leadership in competitive and high-stakes environments.