The MBA Program Venture Capital Fair is a culminating experiential learning event designed to showcase students’ ability to apply integrated business knowledge in a high-stakes, real-world setting. As part of the course, students are placed into teams and tasked with launching and managing a company within a virtual global marketplace using a Harvard Business School online simulation. This simulation challenges participants to make strategic decisions across core business functions, including finance, marketing, operations, and leadership.
For the fair, the MBA cohort is divided into four competing teams, each representing a company operating within the simulation’s competitive “bike” industry. Teams present to a panel of mock investors, making the case for why their company deserves up to $4 million in funding. Each presentation includes an analysis of performance over four completed quarters, supported by key financial and operational metrics, as well as a strategic forecast for the next four quarters.
A central challenge of the event is the ability to justify future projections using past performance. Students must demonstrate not only strong analytical skills, but also strategic thinking, effective communication, and the ability to respond to investor questions in real time.
Overall, the Venture Capital Fair reflects the course’s objective of developing professional management skills through practical application. It provides students with a comprehensive, hands-on experience that bridges classroom theory with the complexities of running a business in a competitive, global environment.
Learn more about the MBA Program.