Washington Business Week

Name

Washington Business Week

Legal name

Washington Business Week (primary program of Foundation for Private Enterprise Education, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization)

Website

https://wbw.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Experiential Business Education

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Accounting, Bookkeeping & Tax Basics (EDAMAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Subject-Specific Short Courses & Academies (e.g., STEM, Business, Arts) (EDAIAIAC)

Keywords

• Youth leadership programs
• Experiential business education
• High school career exploration
• Summer business simulations
• Workforce skills training

Headquarters

HQ city

Renton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Program Tuition Fees: Revenue from families paying tuition for summer programs. Programs are priced at $825-$1,350 but are heavily subsidized by business community donations. Most students receive partial or full scholarships.
2. Business/Foundation Donations: Washington business community, foundations, and corporations subsidize tuition and fund full-ride scholarships. Major donors include Boeing, Microsoft, PEMCO, Starbucks Foundation, Alaska Airlines, PACCAR, and others.
3. Alumni Membership Dues: Annual alumni membership program offering tiered benefits for high school students, college students, and professionals. Provides exclusive events, conference discounts, and CTSO support.
4. College Credits: Partnership with Renton Technical College provides 2 elective college credits included in program tuition. Credits are transferable to other institutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Washington Business Week delivers week-long experiential business education programs in which high school students act as executive teams running a simulated company on college campuses and at partner schools. Programs cover Business, Healthcare, and Advanced Business pathways, include 2 transferable college credits through Renton Technical College, and are powered by the proprietary WILE simulation platform developed in 2020.

Product overview

Washington Business Week offers a portfolio of experiential business education programs for high school students, including three core pathways (Business, Healthcare, and Advanced Business), delivered through summer camps at university campuses and in-school programs. The Business Pathway serves as the flagship offering, while the Healthcare Pathway introduces students to healthcare leadership, and the Advanced Business Pathway provides exclusive deepening experiences for returning alumni. Programs are hosted across Washington State at University of Puget Sound, Eastern Washington University, and Renton Technical College, with additional in-school and international delivery options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Pathway
• Healthcare Pathway
• Advanced Business Pathway
• In-School Programs
• International Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• 81% of students report WBW will help them be a better leader
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered founding, core and minor.

• The Association of Washington BusinessfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1976Original founding partner along with Central Washington University President and Superintendent of Public Instruction. AWB Board unanimously passed support in 1975 for the Business Week program proposal.
• Central Washington UniversityfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1976Original founding partner; first WBW program held at CWSC in August 1976 with 225 students. CWU hosted programs for many years.
• Office of Superintendent of Public InstructionfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1976Original founding partner representing Washington State education, bringing school district connections to the program.
• Renton Technical CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIssues 2 transferable college credits to WBW program completers. Hosts day camp programs on RTC campus. Partnership provides college credit pathway for students.
• University of Puget SoundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts overnight summer programs on Tacoma campus. Provides dormitory facilities and college campus experience for students.
• Eastern Washington UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts overnight summer programs on Cheney campus near Spokane. Partnership provides Inland Northwest students access to WBW programs.
• Gdynia Business Week (Poland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational WBW program launched in 2009 in Gdynia, Poland, expanding to multiple locations including Boleslawowo and Gdansk. WBW helped create programs in Poland.
• Belarus Business WeekminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational WBW program; six Belarus students per year began attending summer programs at CWU starting in 2000.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Junior Achievement USA: Largest US nonprofit providing K-12 work-readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship education. Directly comparable as the dominant incumbent in youth business education, with a much larger national footprint and similar donor-funded, school-and-classroom-delivered model.
• Enactus: International nonprofit mobilizing university students to lead community impact projects through entrepreneurial action. Comparable on mission (youth entrepreneurship development) but serves the college level rather than WBW's high school focus; useful as an adjacent stepping-stone for WBW alumni.
• 4-H (National 4-H Council): Large youth development organization with entrepreneurship curricula (4-H STEM, agribusiness, business programs) for K-12. Comparable as a donor- and partner-funded youth education nonprofit reaching a similar demographic through clubs and educator networks.

Direct peers

• DECA (formerly Distributive Education Clubs of America): National student organization preparing high schoolers for careers in business, marketing, finance, and hospitality through competitive events and leadership programs. Directly comparable as a high-school-focused, business-education, donor- and member-supported program with similar target audience and learning outcomes.
• Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA-PBL): Career-oriented student organization for high schoolers focused on business leadership, with conferences, competitions, and chapter-based delivery. Closely comparable to WBW in target demographic, mission, and emphasis on real-world business skill-building and career exploration.
• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE): Nonprofit delivering entrepreneurship education curricula and competitions to young people, especially underserved middle and high schoolers. Comparable mission, similarly subsidized programs, school-based delivery, and reliance on corporate/foundation partners.
• Montana Business Week: Direct sister program in Montana modeled after Washington Business Week, offering residential summer business simulations for high school students. Nearly identical operating model, tuition structure, and outcomes focus — a state-clone peer.

Emerging players

• Lead4Change: 501(c)(3) providing free leadership and service-learning curriculum and student recognition programs for middle and high school students. Comparable audience and donor-funded nonprofit delivery model, with broader leadership focus versus WBW's business simulation emphasis.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCYIvhHy0O8iA9wKqK4oJ1_g
• Facebookfacebook.com/WashingtonBusinessWeek
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/washington-business-week
• Instagraminstagram.com/washingtonbusinessweek

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Washington Business Week