MIT, Boston University and Harvard Students Competed in Hands-On Entrepreneurship Experience in a Gamified Business Simulation Event
BOSTON, Nov. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — In celebration of National Entrepreneurship Month, students from Boston’s most prestigious universities, including MIT, Boston University (BU), and Harvard demonstrated their best business ownership skills by competing in the Venture Valley Game Event. As an invent education tool to build confidence in entrepreneurship, Venture Valley provides a risk-free environment to explore different business strategies showcasing entrepreneurship through immersive gameplay. Taking place on November 13th and 14th, the two-day event, held during Global Entrepreneurship Week, offered students a one-of-a-kind experience to learn business and entrepreneurial fundamentals in a high-stakes, exciting format.
Organized in collaboration with Lemelson-MIT and Boston University’s Innovate @ BU, the Venture Valley game event invited Boston-area college students to hone their business acumen in the award-winning Venture Valley game, a fast-paced business simulation available for free on mobile and PC. Developed by the Singleton Foundation for Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship, the game brings to life the highs and lows of starting and growing a business, giving users a safe, engaging way to explore entrepreneurial decision-making.
Almost 100 students participated in the event, competing for their share of a $30,000 cash prize. After a heated finale, Travis Falk, a sophomore in computer science at Boston University was the most successful, and took home the winning cash prize. All students who participated in the event were empowered to think critically about entrepreneurship, gaining practical skills that often translate directly to real-world business success. Many attendees shared that the experience of competing in a live business simulation made them seriously consider pursuing entrepreneurial paths.
For Travis Falk, a computer science sophomore at Boston University and the winner of the Boston Competition, the game provided valuable real-world gains. “It was awesome to compete in the Venture Valley Boston Competition. Super fun. It was an amazing setup. We – me and both members of my team– are going to pool our winnings. All the money is going to go straight into our startup – a conversational AI for small businesses.”
The Boston event marked another successful stop for Venture Valley, which has already executed more than 20 college events held across the country. The hosting of the event at MIT and BU reflects the rising trend of university-backed initiatives supporting entrepreneurial ambitions and fostering a culture of innovation. With growing interest in startups among Generation Z, Venture Valley‘s gamified approach resonates with students looking to navigate the world of business.
Stephanie Couch, executive Director of Lemelson MIT, “The Lemelson MIT program is all about helping young people learn ways inventors find and solve problems that matter and improve lives. So, we work with students to get them to the point of having an invention prototype. But how to protect their good ideas and take them forward by licensing or starting a business, that is a part that we haven’t gotten into yet. We love Venture Valley because it is a way to add that part that we know we need without having to create it ourselves because they have done such a good job. We just need to use it.”
“With Venture Valley, we’ve been able to see how a video game can open up entrepreneurship to students in a way that reinforces real-world business skills,” said Shelley Miles, CEO of the Singleton Foundation. “It was inspiring to see some of the best and brightest Boston area college students embrace entrepreneurship and build their skills and confidence for their own entrepreneurial journey.”
By blending the thrill of competition with practical business training, Venture Valley as an invent education tool continues to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs by giving them the tools they need to start building their futures. In Venture Valley, entrepreneurs start small with a dog (or llama!) walking business. By expanding and investing in new ventures, they grow their Valley influence to include mini-golf, pizza parlors, a hovercraft ride-sharing service, a robot factory, and more. Along the way, business owners learn real-world financial and business skills and terms. They also experience all of the challenges of being their own boss, and soon learn that success breeds competition.
More information on the Venture Valley game can be found at www.venturevalleygame.com and through our social media channels:
For more information about the Singleton Foundation, please visit: www.singletonfoundation.org
About Venture Valley
Venture Valley is a free (no in-app purchases or ads) PC and mobile (iOS and Android) game. The game is a project of the Singleton Foundation for Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship, a nonprofit with the mission of making financial competence fun and engaging for everyone by using the power of entertainment to capture attention, create change, promote entrepreneurship, and to inspire individual achievement. https://venturevalleygame.com
About The Singleton Foundation for Financial Literacy & Entrepreneurship
The mission of The Singleton Foundation for Financial Literacy & Entrepreneurship is to inspire entrepreneurship and to make financial competence fun, engaging and accessible to all. Our goal is to help give everyone the financial skills they need to better manage their lives and their businesses.
SOURCE Singleton Foundation
