Startup Wars for Educators Empower your students with real-world business skills

Startup Wars for educators: plan your first classroom simulation

By Startup Wars, the team developing the simulations and classroom resources linked here. This is a suggested teaching workflow. Confirm current product setup, access, and reporting in your educator demo.

A business simulation for educators is most useful when it supports a specific assignment. Start with the reasoning you want learners to demonstrate, then choose a venture that gives them a relevant decision. You can plan the lesson before deciding whether to adopt the software.

1. Choose one outcome. For example, ask students to explain how inventory affects cash and waste. Write down what a strong explanation should include.
2. Preview a scenario. Compare the entrepreneurship simulation series and open the detail page for your shortlist. Ask to see one complete decision and its feedback during your demo.
3. Prepare the assignment. Decide what students will submit before and after a decision. An assumption, calculation, recommendation, and reflection give you something concrete to assess.
4. Confirm classroom access. Review devices, student sign-in, instructor setup, and support with our team. Test the selected workflow on the equipment your class will use.
5. Plan the debrief. Compare predictions with results. Ask students to explain one tradeoff and identify what they would change next.

An instructor starter kit you can use now

These resources are available without a sales form. They are suggested classroom materials, not measured examples of software completion time or guaranteed learning outcomes.

Teaching high-school or CTE learners?

Use the high-school and CTE guide to evaluate classroom fit, preparation, assessment, and school purchasing. Start with a concrete choice and check whether learners understand the terms and calculation before adding complexity.

Teaching college or university students?

Use the college and university guide to connect a scenario to course outcomes, a syllabus, and departmental adoption. Ask students to defend their assumptions and explain why a reasonable alternative could produce a different result.

A first-class readiness check

Before using a Startup Wars classroom simulation, write a short plan that another instructor could follow. State the course objective, the scenario, the student task, and the evidence you will collect. Keep product setup questions separate from teaching decisions so an unresolved login or device issue does not get mistaken for a lesson-design problem.

Before the lesson

Preview the selected scenario from the learner's point of view. Identify any terms students need, the information they can use, and the point where they commit to a decision. Check the current sign-in process and confirm access on school equipment. Ask how you should handle an interrupted session and where to get help.

Prepare a backup discussion using one of the printable resources above. This gives the class a useful activity if access needs attention. Set out the assignment and assessment criteria in the place students normally find their course instructions.

During the activity

Ask students to record a prediction before seeing a result. If they work in groups, give each learner a chance to explain the reasoning. Pause at a meaningful choice and ask what evidence supports it. Avoid steering every group toward the same answer; different assumptions can create a useful discussion afterward.

Keep brief notes on where learners need help. Confusion about a term, difficulty with a calculation, and trouble finding a control call for different responses. Those notes help you improve the next lesson and identify questions for the product team.

After the activity

Collect a short individual reflection alongside any team submission. Ask what changed, why the result differed from the prediction, and what evidence would improve the next decision. Review the work against the objective you set at the start.

For your own planning, record what you would keep, simplify, or explain earlier. Estimate the preparation and review time you actually spent. If colleagues are considering adoption, share those observations together with the scenario and class context. A useful evaluation describes both the teaching opportunity and the work needed to make it fit your course.

Example: a focused inventory lesson

For a first lesson using the printable Food Truck activity, ask learners to choose an inventory level and explain the risk of unsold stock. Have them calculate revenue, preparation costs, the event fee, and profit. Then compare the two demand cases in the answer key. This paper exercise helps you preview the discussion; it is separate from software access and product results.

Before class, decide whether students will calculate individually or compare answers in pairs. During the debrief, ask which cost remains even when a meal does not sell. Finish with a short response: “What information would you want before placing tomorrow's order?”

For a later software lesson, ask to see how the selected scenario presents inventory decisions and feedback. Adapt the assignment to the actual workflow you observe. Keep your learning objective and assessment criteria explicit so you can compare student reasoning across the two activities without assuming the experiences are identical.

Frequently asked questions for instructors

How much preparation should I allow?

Separate product setup from lesson preparation. You will need to preview the selected scenario, confirm access, explain the assignment, and plan a debrief. The amount of time depends on your course and learners. Ask for a walkthrough before setting a classroom schedule; we do not assume every teacher or scenario needs the same preparation.

What should I assess besides the simulation result?

Collect the student's reasoning before the outcome appears and a reflection afterward. Look for evidence, a sound calculation, recognition of a tradeoff, and a justified revision. A team result can support discussion, while an individual response helps you see each learner's understanding.

What information helps us plan a demo?

Share your course level, learning objective, class size, intended start date, and device or accessibility requirements. Ask to see the student experience and current instructor workflow. Review pricing and access and product accessibility information as part of your adoption review.

Where can I check the evidence behind the product?

The Startup Wars evidence page links to published educational use and independent recognition. It distinguishes those sources from company-reported adoption totals. Use the evidence alongside a scenario preview and your own teaching requirements.

Ready to discuss your course? Request an educator demo.