Name

Marketplace Simulations

Legal name

Innovative Learning Solutions, Inc.

Website

https://marketplace-simulation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Simulation Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (51321)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Simulation, Scenario & Serious Games Design (EDAGAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Simulation-Based Learning & Virtual Labs (EDAGAEAG), Game-Based CS & Computational Thinking Platforms (EDAFANAD)

Keywords

• Business simulation software
• Experiential learning platform
• Business education games
• Marketing strategy simulations
• Capstone MBA simulations

Headquarters

HQ city

Knoxville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Simulation Licenses: Annual or semester-based licensing of business simulations for academic courses. Institutions pay for access to simulation platforms with various complexity levels from introductory to advanced MBA programs.
2. Digital Textbook Sales: E-book version of 'The Management of Strategy in the Marketplace' sold as standalone or bundled with simulations. Full e-book costs $19, individual chapters cost $1 each.
3. Printed Textbook Sales: Hard copies of textbook available through lulu.com for $45.05 plus shipping.
4. Career Readiness Reports Add-on: Career readiness assessment add-on to the Introduction to Marketing simulation, measuring 24 core competency metrics from student gameplay.
5. AI Tools Add-on: AI-powered coaching and tactical review tools offered as enhancement to simulations for scalable student support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Marketplace Simulations develops and licenses head-to-head competitive business simulation games for academic institutions, allowing students to run virtual companies in marketing, strategy, supply chain, entrepreneurship, and capstone-level disciplines. The platform includes AI-powered coaching tools, automated assessment systems, Career Readiness Reports, and LTI-certified LMS integration for higher education customers.

Product overview

Marketplace Simulations offers a platform of experiential business education tools centered on competitive business simulation games. The core portfolio includes eight categories of full simulations (Core Business, Marketing, Strategic Management, Strategy, Entrepreneurship, Capstone/Advanced, Supply Chain, and Microsimulations), supplemented by AI-powered coaching tools (AI Coach and Tactical Plan Reviewer), assessment products (Career Readiness Reports and Assurance of Learning Toolkit), accessibility accommodations (WCAG 2.1 AA features), LMS integration via LTI standards, and an optional textbook. Simulations range from introductory 10–25 minute Microsimulations to multi-round, multi-hour capstone games, and are available in multiple languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Polish, Portuguese, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Lithuanian, and Russian.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Core Business Simulations Business simulations that introduce students to fundamental business concepts through immersive, team-based competition. Includes storyline scenarios built around 3D printed bikes, covering marketing strategy, sales, manufacturing, accounting/finance, human resources, and entrepreneurship. Includes Business Primer, Business Fundamentals, Introduction to Business and Strategy, and Managerial Accounting simulations.
• Marketing Simulations Business simulations focused on marketing strategy and execution. Students manage a marketing division, develop niche markets using 3D printing technology, and experiment with marketing strategies, product design, promotion, pricing, internet marketing, and global expansion. Includes Introduction to Marketing, Strategic Marketing, and Advanced Strategic Marketing simulations.
• Strategic Management Simulations Business simulations that let students practice strategic management tools in executive-level roles. Students develop and manage business strategy across all functional areas, use performance-based management, and negotiate business agreements. Includes Strategic Management, Conscious Capitalism, Strategy and Business Policy, Business Management, and Integrated Business Management simulations.
• Strategy Simulations Business simulations that challenge students to develop winning strategies for a new company entering a niche consumer product market. Students manage strategic planning, perform strategic analysis and tactical execution. Includes Introduction to Business and Strategy, Strategy and Business Policy, and Advanced Strategic Corporate Management simulations.
• Entrepreneurship Simulations Business simulations that immerse students in launching and managing a startup. Students perform business opportunity analysis, design and launch new products, manage the product lifecycle, prepare business plans, and pitch to outside investors. Includes Introduction to Business and Strategy, E-Commerce Business Strategy, Venture Strategy, Conscious Capitalism, and International Corporate Management simulations.
• Advanced Simulations (Capstone) Capstone-level business simulations that challenge students at the executive level, requiring them to formulate mission statements, perform SWOT analysis, competitor analysis, and evaluate the external environment while implementing strategies across all functional areas. Includes Strategic Corporate Management, International Corporate Management, and Advanced Strategic Corporate Management simulations, with PC-based storyline scenarios.
• Supply Chain Simulations Business simulations that immerse students in logistics, operations, and supply chain strategy. Students devise and execute supply chain strategies, form business relationships, negotiate with partners, and manage uncertainty in a competitive environment. Includes Fundamentals of Supply Chain Management, Fundamentals of Channel Management, Xtreme Supply Chain Management, Supply Chain and Channel Management, and Operations Management simulations.
• Marketplace Microsimulations Short, interactive exercises lasting 10 to 25 minutes each, designed to teach key business concepts through bite-sized animated lectures and interactive challenges. Available as individual microsimulations or bundled into sets for Introduction to Business, Marketing, Accounting, Pricing, Online Marketing, Strategic Management, and Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship courses. Topics include Product Design, Production Scheduling, Basic Accounting, Strategic Planning, Profitability, Internet Marketing, and Pricing.
• AI Coach AI-powered coaching assistant available within simulations. Answers student questions about the simulation and business concepts in natural language, explains where to find important information, and guides students through business tasks. Available 24 hours a day, handling routine questions so instructors can focus on deeper mentoring.
• Tactical Plan Reviewer AI tool that challenges students' tactical assumptions to increase critical thinking. Acts as a board member, posing hard questions as students defend their decisions and forecasts, promoting strategic thinking and independent problem-solving.
• Career Readiness Reports Career competency assessments that measure 24 core performance metrics including critical thinking, problem solving, innovation, and analytical skills. Data analysis is based on students' simulation gameplay actions and outcomes. Delivered as an add-on to the single-player Introduction to Marketing simulation.
• The Management of Strategy in the Marketplace (Optional Textbook) Optional textbook by Ernest Cadotte and Harry Bruce designed to accompany Marketplace Live simulations. Serves as an intellectual foundation to prepare students for simulation competition. Available as bundled e-book for $19 or $1 per chapter, or as a printed copy from lulu.com for $45.05 plus shipping.

Quantifiable outcome

• 700 schools worldwide using simulations for student engagement and learning
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability3 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Canvas (by Instructure)coreTechnology or IntegrationLTI-certified integration enabling single sign-on and grade synchronization between Marketplace Simulations and Canvas LMS.
• MoodlecoreTechnology or IntegrationLTI-certified integration enabling single sign-on and grade synchronization between Marketplace Simulations and Moodle LMS.
• BlackboardcoreTechnology or IntegrationLTI-certified integration enabling single sign-on and grade synchronization between Marketplace Simulations and Blackboard LMS.
• SakaicoreTechnology or IntegrationLTI-certified integration enabling single sign-on and grade synchronization between Marketplace Simulations and Sakai LMS.
• Brightspace (by D2L)coreTechnology or IntegrationLTI-certified integration enabling single sign-on and grade synchronization between Marketplace Simulations and Brightspace LMS.
• Harvard Business PublishingflagshipTechnology or IntegrationMajor LMS integration partner for distributing Marketplace Simulations through Harvard Business Publishing's educational platform.
• Western Governors UniversityflagshipTechnology or IntegrationMajor LMS integration partner for competency-based online MBA program using Marketplace Simulations as capstone experience.
• Conscious Capitalism Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreated Conscious Capitalism simulation in cooperation with Conscious Capitalism Inc., focusing on stakeholder management, ethics, environmental, and sustainability issues in business.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Harvard Business Publishing Education: HBSP Education distributes case studies, simulations, and learning materials globally — it is also a flagged Marketplace partner for LMS integration. As an incumbent with a much broader catalog (cases, videos, simulations), HBP competes and partners with Marketplace at the enterprise business school level.
• Cengage: Cengage is a major higher education and workforce publisher with digital learning platforms (MindTap, Cengage Unlimited). Its broad courseware and assessment offerings, including business titles, make it an overlapping incumbent in business school technology purchases.
• McGraw-Hill Education: McGraw-Hill Education is a major higher-ed publisher offering Connect, ALEKS, and increasingly digital simulations and courseware. It competes for the same instructor wallet through bundled courseware that includes case-based and simulation-style assessments.
• Pearson Education: Pearson is one of the largest higher education publishers, with digital platforms (Pearson MyLab, eText) and an active acquisitions/investments footprint in EdTech and assessment. It competes broadly with Marketplace in serving business school faculty via bundled courseware and assessments.

Direct peers

• Smartsims: Smartsims produces Hot Shot Business, Business Operations, and similar single-player and team-based business simulations for higher education. They target the same instructor buyer with experiential learning tools and compete for adoption in undergraduate introductory business courses.
• Capsim: Capsim is the closest direct competitor to Marketplace Simulations — it sells team-based business simulations (Capstone, Foundation, Business Strategy Game) used widely in undergraduate and MBA business courses. Both compete head-to-head for the same professor buyer, similar seat-license economics, and similar accreditation-driven deployment use cases.
• Interpretive Simulations: Interpretive Simulations publishes StratSim and EnviroSim, two of the longest-running business strategy and environmental management simulations in higher education. Like Marketplace, it sells faculty licenses for head-to-head competitive simulations in business school curricula.
• Forio (now Simformer): Forio's online simulation platform powers browser-based business and strategy simulations for educators and corporate training. It is a direct peer in the cloud-delivered business simulation category, often used in MBA strategy, operations, and sustainability courses.

Others

• Instructure (Canvas): Instructure operates Canvas, the largest LMS and a core Marketplace integration partner. As the platform layer on which Marketplace Simulations runs in many institutions, Instructure is an ecosystem enabler rather than a direct competitor, but it could conceivably expand into built-in simulations.

Emerging players

• Inkling: Inkling provides digital learning content and courseware platforms for higher ed and enterprise training. While not a direct simulation competitor, it represents an emerging digital-content platform pursuing the same experiential / interactive learning category where Marketplace sells.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/marketplacesims
• Facebookfacebook.com/MarketplaceSimulations
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/innovative-learning-solutions-inc

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Marketplace Simulations