In the Startup Simulator, you're the founder. You pick an industry, launch a company, and make the calls that decide whether it grows into a business big enough to go public or runs out of money along the way. Every choice is a trade-off, so there's rarely one perfect answer. Here's how to play, what everything on the screen means, and how to give your company its best shot.
Launching your company
Tap or click Simulators in the sidebar.
Open the Startup band and tap or click Start Startup (or Continue Startup if you've already begun).
Choose your industry: Service Industry (restaurants, agencies, hospitality), Technology (software and apps) or Product (physical goods).
Click Let's launch your business!
Choose carefully: your industry sets your opening scenario and can't be changed mid-run.
If you see "AWAITING ACTIVATION," your teacher hasn't turned on the Startup Simulator for your class yet. Check back later or ask them about it.
The five stages
Your company moves through five stages: Friends and Family, Pre-Seed, Seed, Series Funding and IPO. Each stage has five decisions, so a full run is 25 decisions. The bar at the top shows which stage you're in and which decision you're on, like Decision 3 of 5. About two and a half months pass between decisions.
Making a decision
Read the situation in Current Decision. Tags at the top show what it's about and how much is at stake.
Look at the three courses of action, A, B and C. Think about what each one would help and what it would hurt.
Pick one. You can also press 1, 2 or 3 on your keyboard.
Click Commit decision (or press Enter).
A popup shows what changed: which numbers went up, which went down, and by how much. It also explains why things played out that way, names the business idea behind it, and lets you open What the other options would have done. Read it: it's the fastest way to get better. Click Next decision to keep going.
Your company's numbers
Your Vitals show four numbers, each with a short definition:
Market Value: what your business would be worth if it were sold today. You start at $20,000.
Employee Wellness: your team's morale and health, out of 100. You start at 65.
Gross Revenue: total income before any costs. You start at $10,000.
Profit / Loss: what's left after costs, for the year. You start with a loss of $5,000. Most startups lose money at first.
Each number shows how it changed since your last decision. A marked line shows your teacher's fail point for that number, and you'll get a warning when you're one bad decision away from it.
You'll also see:
Cash & Runway: the money in the bank, and how many months it would last at your current loss. You start with $8,000. Cash moves every decision with your profit or loss, plus any one-time costs from your choices. The runway also shows in the top bar. If your company makes more than it spends, it says "Not burning cash."
Cap Table: who owns your company: founders, investors, employees and advisors. You start with 75%.
Annual Ledger: revenue and expenses for the last full year.
Roster: the people behind your company.
Investor offers
When you finish a stage, investors make you three offers: a small, a medium and a large one. Each offer shows how much money you'd get, how much of your company you'd give up, and the implied valuation (what the investor thinks your whole company is worth).
More money gives you more runway, but you end up owning a smaller slice. Pick one offer and click Accept offer to start the next stage. There's no right answer: it depends on how much cash you need and how much of your company you want to keep.
How a run ends
You reach the IPO by making it through all five stages. Your ending shows what your share of the company is worth.
You run out of cash. Without money to pay the team and the bills, the business has to close.
You fall below a limit. One of your vitals drops to or below a fail point your teacher set.
However your run ends, you'll see an ending screen with your stake round by round, your turning points (the decisions that mattered most) and a few questions to think about. Tap or click a turning point to open that decision again.
When a run ends, you can't start a new company on your own. If your teacher wants you to try again, they can reset your run, and you'll pick an industry and start fresh.
Decision Log and Case Files
Decision Log: every decision you've made, marked as a favorable or adverse outcome. Use the All, Favorable and Adverse filters, and open any entry to see what you chose and what happened. You can return to your live decision at any time.
Case Files: the true stories of two real companies. Apple grew from a garage into a giant, and Theranos collapsed. See their key decisions and numbers, and compare their choices with yours.
How you're scored
If your teacher grades the Startup Simulator, they'll look at how many decisions you make and how far your company gets toward the IPO. A run that ends early counts for less. Your teacher always makes the final call on your grade.
Tips
Watch your runway, not just your profit. A company can look like it's growing and still run out of cash.
Keep an eye on the fail point lines. If a number is close, protect it with your next choice.
Don't wear out your team. Low employee wellness can end a run just as fast as low cash.
Before accepting an offer, ask yourself how many months of runway you need to reach the next stage.
Read the explanation after every decision. Patterns show up quickly.
Common questions
It says "Your decision didn't go through." What do I do?
Your choice is still selected. Check your connection and click Try again. Nothing was lost.
Can I change my industry?
Not during a run. If your teacher resets your run, you can choose again.
Can I say no to all the investor offers?
No. You pick one of the three to move on. The choice is how much of your company to sell.
My run ended. Can I play again?
Ask your teacher. They can reset your run so you can found a new company.