Evidence, recognition, and adoption
A transparent record of independently verifiable recognition and educational use, with company-reported adoption figures clearly labeled for educators and procurement teams.
Author: Startup Wars. We develop the entrepreneurship simulations and teaching resources described on this site. This vendor-authored guide draws on that product knowledge to help educators evaluate scenarios and plan instruction.
Primary-source record
These entries link directly to the organization that issued the recognition or documented the educational use. They establish the specific facts below; they do not imply broader endorsement or independently measured learning outcomes.
Independent recognition
The official QS Reimagine Education category winners list names Startup Wars, Inc. and “The Entrepreneurship Simulation Platform” as the Silver winner in the Immersive Experiential Learning category.
QS Quacquarelli Symonds
View QS Quacquarelli Symonds source (opens in a new tab)Documented course use
USF’s current pre-college course description identifies Startup Wars as its online bioentrepreneurship simulation. It says student teams make decisions in project management, marketing, and finance while running a virtual vertical-farming business.
University of San Francisco
View University of San Francisco source (opens in a new tab)Documented program use
Valdosta State’s J. Donald Lee Center for Entrepreneurship publishes a student registration page for a structured Startup Wars game simulation and distributes access information through university email.
Valdosta State University
View Valdosta State University source (opens in a new tab)What the sources show
The independent record shows Startup Wars used in different educational settings and recognized for immersive experiential learning.
Course integration
USF describes student teams using Startup Wars to practice project management, marketing, and finance decisions in a vertical-farming venture.
View University of San Francisco source (opens in a new tab)Entrepreneurship program
Valdosta State’s entrepreneurship center publishes a defined Startup Wars participation process with student registration and university-managed access.
View Valdosta State University source (opens in a new tab)Independent recognition
QS’s official 2023 list identifies Startup Wars’ “Entrepreneurship Simulation Platform” as the Silver winner in the category.
View QS Quacquarelli Symonds source (opens in a new tab)Claim register
This register makes the source and limits of each statement explicit. It is intended to support initial educator and procurement review, not replace institution-specific due diligence.
| Claim | Verification | Source and limits |
|---|---|---|
| Startup Wars received a 2023 Silver award in Immersive Experiential Learning. | Independently verified | Confirmed in the official QS Reimagine Education category winners list. View QS Quacquarelli Symonds source (opens in a new tab) |
| The University of San Francisco uses Startup Wars in its BioEntrepreneurship Academy. | Independently verified | Confirmed in USF’s public, current pre-college course description. View University of San Francisco source (opens in a new tab) |
| Valdosta State University runs a Startup Wars entrepreneurship simulation program. | Independently verified | Confirmed by the university’s public registration and access-instruction page. View Valdosta State University source (opens in a new tab) |
| Startup Wars has reached 10,000+ learners across 100+ institutions. | Startup Wars-reported | These are company-reported cumulative adoption totals, not a third-party audit. The sources above independently confirm specific examples, not the full totals. |
For educator and procurement review
Every institution evaluates simulations differently. Our team can help you review fit, implementation, and available documentation for your course or purchasing process.
Start with the teaching and adoption guidance for your setting: high-school and CTE business simulations or college and university business simulations. Each includes a sample teaching activity to help you evaluate course fit alongside the evidence here.
A useful evidence note records a claim narrowly enough that a colleague can check it. Use the original publisher's page and keep a record of when you accessed it. A source can support a recommendation without answering every question about the product.
For example, the University of San Francisco course listing above describes Startup Wars in its biotech entrepreneurship program. An adoption note can identify that published teaching context. It should not turn the listing into a claim about measured learning gains, a particular instructor dashboard, or suitability for every student group.
| Field | Example of what to record |
|---|---|
| Source | University of San Francisco pre-college course listing |
| Narrow claim | The named program describes using Startup Wars |
| Teaching context | Entrepreneurship decisions within the program described |
| Limit | A course description is not an outcomes study or product certification |
| Next check | Preview the scenario and assess its fit for our own course objective |
Use the same approach for recognition. An award publication documents the award, category, and year. Keep those details together when you cite it. Recognition can inform an evaluation, while a product demonstration and your own classroom evidence address different questions.
For a purchasing discussion, share the source note alongside the evaluation worksheet, proposed assignment, and unresolved requirements. Ask who will verify each open question and what evidence will close it. This creates a review record that an instructor, principal, or department chair can follow without treating a logo, award, or adoption total as a substitute for course fit.
Prepared by Startup Wars, the publisher and product developer. The source register above separates our own statements from the linked organizations' publications. We provide this context so educators can check what each source supports.
A university course description or program registration page documents the specific use it describes. It can help you identify a relevant teaching context. It does not by itself show measured learning gains, suitability for every course, or an endorsement of every product feature. Check the original publication and its scope when citing it in an adoption proposal.
No. Learner and institution totals describe company-reported adoption. They do not measure changes in student knowledge, retention, or instructor workload. The independent sources support the narrow claims beside each link; they are not an audit of the aggregate totals.
Define the learning objective and assessment criteria before the activity. Collect a student's initial reasoning, a decision artifact, and a reflection after feedback. Record course level, cohort size, facilitation, and the assessment method so the results can be interpreted in context. Ask what comparison or baseline would support the claim you want to make.
Save the source title, publisher, date accessed, relevant claim, and limitation in your review notes. Pair that record with a product demonstration and your institution's access, accessibility, and procurement requirements. Request an educator review for questions about available documentation.
Review Startup Wars
Tell us about your learners, course, and decision process. We’ll help you evaluate the simulations and the evidence relevant to your program.
We reviewed the official source published by each named organization on September 17, 2026. “Independently verified” means the linked third-party source directly supports the narrow claim stated here. It does not mean the organization audited Startup Wars’ total adoption or endorsed every product claim. Company-reported figures are labeled separately and should be evaluated in that context.
