Startup Forge puts student teams in the founder's seat. Starting with nothing but an idea and limited personal savings, teams must validate their concept, build an MVP, find product-market fit, recruit a team, and pitch to investors. The simulation mirrors the real startup lifecycle — complete with cash runway pressure, co-founder disagreements, market validation failures, and the gut-wrenching decision of when to pivot versus persevere. Success is measured not just in funding raised, but in learning velocity, team cohesion, and market traction.
Define your startup concept, identify target customers, and run initial validation experiments. Decide how to allocate your limited pre-seed budget.
Build your minimum viable product and get it in front of real users. Analyze feedback, measure traction metrics, and decide what to build next.
Your startup is growing. Hire key roles, navigate co-founder dynamics, and establish the culture that will define your company. Every hire matters.
Prepare your pitch deck, meet with investors, and negotiate term sheets. Handle tough questions about unit economics, competition, and your path to profitability.
With funding secured (or not), make the critical decision: scale what is working, pivot to a new model, or face the reality of your runway. The market will have the final word.
This simulation is currently in development. Contact us to join the waitlist and be the first to know when it launches.