Venture Strategy

EDUCATIONAL GAMES FOR BUSINESS

Venture Strategy

Feel the pain and exhilaration of starting a new business.

The Venture Strategy simulation provides your students with a safe virtual environment where they can experience what it takes to be an entrepreneur as they start-up a new business. The simulation integrates all the functional areas of business without delving into the weeds, providing a vehicle to gain the confidence an entrepreneur needs to tackle the world. 

Students act as executive teams making realistic business decisions in the context of a whole enterprise. Each decision round played builds upon knowledge retained from the previous round. Learning content is presented at the exact moments when it is needed for decisions in order to increase retention and get students playing sooner.  

Students learn to interpret market feedback, analyze competitors’ moves, and make quick adjustments to their strategy. Marketplace Microsimulations available at critical points during the exercise cover select business concepts in more depth to ensure that students master the course material. Venture Strategy is available in two product storylines, 3D-printed bikes or our classic personal computers scenario. *Language available in Bike edition. 

Typical courses

Entrepreneurship and capstone business courses

Educational level / Class size

Ideal for small to very large (1000+) classes of third or fourth year undergraduates

Decision rounds

6 decision rounds of 1.5-2 hours

Languages

English*, Portuguese-Br*, Spanish, Chinese, Polish, Lithuanian, Korean, German, French*

Launch a New Venture

Business Strategy

Identify business opportunities and formulate a strategy to profitably serve up to 3 market segments through interconnected tactical decisions.

Product Marketing

Analyze key market data, then create bicycles from an intermediate set of components. Price and promote them for the targeted segments. Invest in R&D to gain a competitive edge.

Sales Channel

In up to 4 markets, manage a sales strategy with brick- and-mortar and internet sales channels based on market potential and available resources. Hire and train sales staff to develop demand.

Lean Production

Use 3D printing to enable just-in-time manufacturing. Develop production plans to meet projected demand and minimize costs and lost sales.

Compensation & Benefits

Devise competitive compensation packages for sales force and production workers to maximize their productivity.

Financial Management

Run financial projections and use standard accounting statements and financial ratios to maximize profit. Balance debt and VC funding to accelerate growth.

Entrepreneurship

Start up your own venture. When cash is low and opportunities are great, make a pitch for outside capital. Learn where to take risks and how and when to pivot in a dynamic market.

Explore this simulation with a quick demo.

Realistic Experience

Student teams start up new businesses and compete in a simulated market. They are challenged to develop a niche market based on newly available technology.

Your students study industry data and formulate a business strategy. They produce and sell products, gaining experience by testing ideas and learning from the results.

Learning content is gradually and purposefully added as the market evolves. Based on customer feedback, competitor analysis, and financial reports, students manage their strategy in a dynamic, competitive environment.

Balanced Scorecard Metrics

To ensure that students learn to manage all aspects of business, a Balanced Scorecard is used to evaluate team performance.

  • Financial performance
  • Market performance
  • Marketing effectiveness
  • HR management
  • Manufacturing productivity
  • Asset management
  • Financial risk
  • Creation of wealth
  • Investment in the firm’s future

Class Size Options

Play Against Classmates

Because students compete against their classmates, all teams advance through the game in sync. The friendly rivalry creates a stimulating and engaging experience.

Ideal for small to large classes of third or fourth year undergraduates.

Teams of 4-5 students work well. Playing in teams cultivates soft skills such as leadership and communication.

Play Against the Computer

Teams compete against the computer and progress at their own pace, which is great for classes needing low overhead.

Ideal for small to very large (1000+) classes of third or fourth year undergraduates.

Teams of 4-5 students work well. But students can play individually, eliminating the need to arrange teams, which may be impractical in large classes.

Engaging Storyline

Challenge your students to develop a new, niche market using an advanced 3D printing technology to build carbon fiber bike frames. The new bikes are strong, lightweight, and can be custom tailored for each rider. Bikes can be built to demand, eliminating most of the inventory that would otherwise be held, and reducing distribution costs. The new bikes promise to create a brand new market opportunity. Will your students reshape the bike industry?

Why Choose Marketplace?

Turnkey Solution

Comprehensive tools to setup, monitor, and grade. Student work is self-guided with built-in instruction based upon a sound teaching methodology refined over 30 years.

Easy to Access

Cloud-based, works on any common Internet browser and operating system. Meets the WCAG 2.0 AA accessibility requirements.

Support 7 Days a Week

Our responsive staff provide comprehensive support by phone, email, or web-conferencing to ensure that you and your students get the most out of Marketplace.