Solvay Business Game

What Solvay Business Game does

Solvay Business Game is a student-run annual business competition founded in 2007 by students of the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management in Brussels, Belgium. Now in its 19th edition (March 27–28, 2026 at the Sheraton Brussels Airport Hotel), it self-describes as "Europe's largest business competition" and selects 300 participants from roughly 800 applicants each year through an online selection test comprising time-management questions, GMAT and logic items, and a McKinsey & Company case study. Participants, who are European university students, are placed into teams of strangers to compete over two days across six challenge tracks: Pitch and Eloquence Challenges (designed by McKinsey & Company), a Negotiation Challenge (BDO), Finance and Strategy Challenges (CACEIS), and a Marketing Challenge (SNCB-NMBS). The competition is free for participants.

There is no proprietary technology platform; the offering is a physical event format with an online registration portal and web-based selection tests. The organization is staffed by approximately 15 student volunteers in defined functional roles (President, Vice President, Finance, Partners, Marketing Offline, Digital, Logistics, HR, Challenge Management, Public Relations, Artistic).

The business model is sponsorship-driven rather than participant-paid: revenue is generated from corporate partners who fund challenge tracks (McKinsey, BDO, CACEIS, SNCB) and from a broader sponsor roster spanning consulting, financial services, infrastructure, energy, consumer goods, and pharma (AbbVie, Elia, Duvel, Red Bull, MDLZ, Interparking, Aqua Vital, Bolero, Generation Recruitment, Crosstraining Investment Banking, Tech Invaders, Nestia, QTEM). Ancillary partners include the venue (Sheraton Brussels Airport Hotel) and the alumni association AEBG. Distribution is via the Solvay Brussels School brand, university networks across Europe, and organic social channels (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram), with corporate partner networks serving as secondary recruitment channels.

Name

Solvay Business Game

Legal name

Solvay Brussels School Business Game

Website

https://solvaybusinessgame.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Solvay Business Game is a student-run annual business competition organized by Solvay Brussels School students in Brussels, selecting 300 European university students from 800 applicants to compete in a two-day, six-track case challenge event sponsored by McKinsey, BDO, CACEIS, and SNCB.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Business Case Competition Events

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Business, Entrepreneurship & Case Competitions (DECA-style, Pitch, Case) (EDAMAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Amateur Event & Tournament Organizers (Meets, Invitationals, Opens) (MPAKACAL), Speech & Debate Judging, Tabulation & Tournament Services (EDAMAOAO)

Keywords

• Business case competition
• Student competition events
• Corporate sponsorship programs
• Talent acquisition events
• Business simulation games

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Sponsor and Partner Funding: Revenue generated through corporate sponsors and challenge partners who fund the event in exchange for branding, recruitment access, and engagement with top student talent. Partners include McKinsey & Company, BDO, CACEIS, SNCB, and numerous other companies.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Solvay Business Game is an annual 2-day business case competition organized by students of Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, hosting approximately 300 university students from across Europe to solve real corporate case briefs. Participation is free for student teams, with the event fully funded through tiered corporate sponsorship packages sold to multinational firms. Sponsors gain brand visibility, recruiting access to top European university talent, and opportunities to co-author case content.

Product overview

The Solvay Business Game is a single unified event offering — Europe's largest business competition featuring six distinct challenge tracks: Pitch Challenge, Negotiation Challenge, Finance Challenge, Eloquence Challenge, Marketing Challenge, and Strategy Challenge. These challenges are developed in partnership with leading companies (McKinsey & Company, BDO, CACEIS, SNCB) and form the core competitive experience. The event also includes a Selection Test component for participant filtering. Participants register through a web-based platform, but the primary offering is the competitive event itself, not a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Solvay Business Game Annual Competition A 2-day in-person business case competition in Brussels where teams of university students from across Europe solve real corporate case briefs, attend networking sessions, and compete for prizes. Free for student participants and aimed at undergraduates and masters students seeking case-interview exposure and recruiter interaction.
• Corporate Sponsorship Packages Sponsorship packages sold to multinational corporations (current sponsors include McKinsey, BDO, CACEIS, and SNCB) that grant brand visibility during the 2-day event, recruiting access to ~300 European university students, and the right to co-author or present a case. Designed for talent-acquisition and brand-marketing teams at large firms.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• McKinsey & CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026McKinsey & Company serves as a Challenge Partner, designing the Pitch Challenge and Eloquence Challenge. They provide real McKinsey case studies for selection tests and judge participants on problem-solving and presentation skills. The partnership provides McKinsey with access to top student talent for recruitment.
• BDOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026BDO serves as a Challenge Partner, designing the Negotiation Challenge where participants negotiate company acquisition terms. BDO is an international consultancy with over 700 staff in Belgium across 11 offices and 73,000 partners globally.
• CACEIScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026CACEIS, the asset servicing banking group of Crédit Agricole and Santander, sponsors the Finance Challenge and Strategy Challenge. With €4.7 trillion assets under custody, they provide real-world financial scenarios for participants.
• SNCB (Belgian National Railway Company)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026SNCB-NMBS sponsors the Marketing Challenge, asking participants to develop brand strategy solutions for sustainable mobility. The partnership enables SNCB to engage with future talent in the mobility sector.
• AbbVieminorOthersPartner company supporting the Solvay Business Game event through sponsorship.
• Sheraton Brussels Airport HotelminorOthersVenue partner hosting the annual 2-day competition event at their Brussels Airport location.
• DuvelminorOthersBelgian brewery brand sponsoring the event.
• EliaminorOthersBelgian electricity transmission system operator sponsoring the event.
• Generation RecruitmentminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRecruitment partner supporting talent connection between participants and employers.
• AEBGminorOthersAlumni Association of the Solvay Brussels School supporting the event.
• BolerominorOthersPartner company sponsoring the Solvay Business Game.
• Tech InvadersminorOthersTechnology partner supporting the event.
• Crosstraining Investment BankingminorOthersInvestment banking training provider partnering with the event.
• Aqua VitalminorOthersWater brand sponsoring the event.
• InterparkingminorOthersParking services company as event sponsor.
• Red BullminorOthersEnergy drink brand sponsoring the event.
• NestiaminorOthersPartner company supporting the Solvay Business Game.
• QTEMminorOthersPartner organization supporting the event.
• MDLZ (Mondelez International)minorOthersGlobal snack company sponsoring the event.
• SSS (Solvay Summer School)minorOthersRelated Solvay program as event partner.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• Startup Weekend: Techstars-run weekend entrepreneurship events where teams build and pitch startups. Comparable as a time-boxed, sponsor-funded, university-age business competition, though focused on venture creation rather than corporate case challenges.

Regional players

• CEMS MIM: CEMS alliance of top European business schools runs a Master in International Management with corporate partners and skills competitions. Comparable European focus, sponsor-supported model, and audience of top business school students, though CEMS is academic-degree oriented.

Direct peers

• Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA): EO's flagship competition for student entrepreneurs operating real businesses. Comparable in targeting university-age founders, running an annual multi-stage competition, and securing corporate sponsorships to fund prizes and programming.
• Enactus: Global nonprofit mobilizing university students through social-entrepreneurship projects and an annual world cup competition. Comparable student-led, sponsor-funded competition model targeting European and global business school talent.
• DECA: International student organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs through competitive events, role-plays, and case studies. Closely comparable audience (university-age students), business-case competition format, and corporate sponsor ecosystem.
• Hult Prize: Global student entrepreneurship competition run in partnership with the United Nations and Hult International Business School. Directly comparable as a multi-stage, sponsor-funded case/venture competition targeting university students worldwide.
• HEC Challenge International: International business case competition hosted by HEC Paris, drawing top European business school students. Directly comparable as a sponsor-supported, multi-day case competition targeting the same recruitment-minded European student audience.
• INSEAD Business Case Competition: Annual case competition hosted by INSEAD for European and international business school students. Comparable in audience, sponsorship model, and use of corporate-designed challenges to test business skills.

Broad incumbents

• Junior Achievement (JA) Europe: Larger educational nonprofit running business and entrepreneurship programs and competitions across European schools. Comparable audience and sponsor-funded competition format, but operating at much greater scale and broader scope than a single-event competition.
• Junior Achievement Company Program: JA's flagship student-run company competition in which high school and university students launch real businesses and compete. Comparable as a student-led, sponsor-funded business competition targeting similar age cohorts in Europe.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/solvaybusinessgame
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/solvay-business-game
• Xx.com/SolvayBusiness

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Solvay Business Game