BUSINESS@SCHOOL - A BCG INITIATIVE

What BUSINESS@SCHOOL - A BCG INITIATIVE does

BUSINESS@SCHOOL is a corporate social responsibility (CSR) educational initiative operated by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), founded in 1998 and headquartered within BCG's Munich offices. The program targets upper secondary school students across six European countries—Germany, Austria, Italy, the United Kingdom, Albania, and Switzerland—and runs an annual school-year-long curriculum structured in three phases: research, implementation, and a culminating Pitch Night event. Each year approximately 1,000 students from ~70 schools participate, supported by ~150 teachers and ~450 volunteer coaches drawn from ~20 partner companies. Since inception the program has reached a cumulative ~30,000 students across 270 schools, with 850 teachers and 4,500 coaches having contributed over the 25-year history.

The program's core technology is the b@s Platform, built on ProjectCommunity software provided by toco3 GmbH, which coordinates teacher-student-coach matchmaking, project workflows, and remote collaboration including video conferencing. Students produce market research and business concept pitches as their primary deliverables, with partner-provided data infrastructure (notably Statista research cooperation established December 2023) supporting research quality. The Videochallenge, reaching its 10th anniversary in 2026, extends engagement beyond traditional Pitch Nights.

BUSINESS@SCHOOL is structurally pre-revenue: it charges no fees to schools, students, or teachers, and is funded entirely through BCG as a non-commercial CSR mandate. The project office consists of ~16 staff based at BCG Munich, led by Dr. Babette Claas as Director. Revenue mechanics do not exist by design; the program's value is measured in educational reach, partner engagement, and BCG brand positioning rather than financial return. Strategic direction is supported by an advisory board, with recent additions including Annette Mann (January 2025).

Name

BUSINESS@SCHOOL - A BCG INITIATIVE

Legal name

The Boston Consulting Group GmbH

Website

https://businessatschool.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BUSINESS@SCHOOL is BCG's non-revenue CSR educational initiative running an annual three-phase business curriculum for ~1,000 upper secondary students across ~70 schools in six European countries, supported by ~20 partner companies providing ~450 volunteer coaches annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Services / Business Education Programs

NAICS

Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB), Career Exploration & Industry Exposure (Guest Speakers, Company Visits) (EDAMAHAJ), Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK), Marketing, Branding & Sales Skills (EDAMAHAG)

Keywords

• Business education programs
• Student entrepreneurship training
• School-based business competitions
• CSR educational initiatives
• Youth mentorship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Non-revenue generating educational initiative: business@school is an educational CSR initiative of The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). It does not generate commercial revenue. It is funded and operated by BCG as a philanthropic educational program. Costs are borne by BCG and partner companies (coach volunteering, in-kind support). There is no tuition, no product sales, and no licensing revenue.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

business@school delivers a free, year-long business and entrepreneurship education program to upper secondary school students at approximately 70 schools in six European countries. Students work in teams of 4–6 through three structured phases — analyzing a large company, analyzing a small/mid-sized business, and developing an original business idea and business plan — culminating in school, regional, and International Finals competitions. The program is supported by an online collaboration platform (b@s Platform / ProjectCommunity), teacher resources, and ~450 volunteer coaches annually from 20+ partner companies and BCG.

Product overview

BUSINESS@SCHOOL is an educational initiative by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) that provides a comprehensive entrepreneurship education program for upper secondary school students over one full school year. The program centers on a three-phase structure: students analyze large companies (Phase I), small businesses (Phase II), and develop their own business ideas (Phase III). The core offerings include the b@s Platform (ProjectCommunity) for project management and collaboration, the b@s Videochallenge for younger students, and participation in school competitions leading to International Finals. The initiative is supported by coach programs, alumni networks, and various online resources and workshops. Founded in 1998 at two pilot schools, the program now involves approximately 70 schools across Germany, Austria, Italy, UK, Albania, and Switzerland with around 1,000 students, 150 teachers, and 400 coaches participating annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• business@school Program Free, year-long business and entrepreneurship education program delivered to upper secondary school students at approximately 70 schools in Germany, Austria, Italy, UK, Albania, and Switzerland; students form teams of 4–6 and progress through three phases (large company analysis, small/mid-sized business analysis, and development of an original business idea and business plan), culminating in school, regional, and International Finals competitions; supported by ~450 volunteer coaches annually from 20+ partner companies and BCG.
• b@s Videochallenge Annual standalone video competition for students aged 14–20 from all school types, running January 1 to October 1 each year; participants answer four questions about four companies in four minutes for the chance to win prizes; serves as a top-of-funnel feeder into the full business@school Program.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30,000 students have completed the program since 1998, with approximately 1,000 students participating annually at ~70 schools
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Boston Consulting Group (BCG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998BCG is the parent organization and founder of business@school. As the international management consulting firm behind the initiative, BCG provides full funding, operational management through its project office in Munich, BCG employees as coaches, and ongoing strategic direction. BCG's brand and network are integral to the program's credibility and reach.
• Over 20 Partner Companies (annual cohort of ~20 companies providing volunteer coaches)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerApproximately 20 partner companies send employee volunteers as coaches to business@school each year. Companies commit at least 5 employees (~30–50 hours each per school year) to mentor student teams. Partners benefit from employee development, CSR impact, and networking opportunities. Specific named partners have included Evonik (sponsor of Social Entrepreneur Prize and special awards), Signal Iduna (special award sponsor), and Austrian Airlines (CEO Annette Mann joined the advisory board).
• toco3 GmbH & Co. KGcoreTechnology or Integrationtoco3 GmbH & Co. KG is the licensor, host, and administrator of the b@s platform. Based in Bodman-Ludwigshafen, Germany, toco3 provides and maintains the online platform infrastructure (team.businessatschool.de) including the competition workspace, teaching resources, and communication tools. BCG has contracted toco3 as a data processor under GDPR obligations.
• StatistaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatista provides all business@school participants (students, teachers, and coaches) with full access to its statistics and data platform. This enables students to conduct market research and data-driven analysis for their company analyses and business plans during the three project phases.
• Nehemiah GatewayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNehemiah Gateway is an aid organization active in Albania for over ten years. business@school partnered with Nehemiah Gateway to launch a pilot program in Buçimas, Albania, introducing entrepreneurship education to 16 students at the local Nehemiah Gateway School. The pilot included a condensed b@s competition format, supported by German b@s participants, alumni, teachers, and a coach.
• Southpole and other CO₂ offset providers (via compensate team)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn the context of a student team's winning business idea 'compensate' (Social Entrepreneur Award 2019, Kantonsschule Enge Zurich), Southpole and other leading sustainability solution providers were identified as partners for CO₂ offset projects. This was a student-driven initiative, not a formal program partnership.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Generation: Global nonprofit offering free, employment-focused training programs to young adults. Comparable in mission of preparing youth for careers, but operates at older age cohorts (typically 18–29) and focuses on employability rather than entrepreneurship competitions.
• McKinsey & Company — Education and Youth Programs: Major management consulting firm running various pro-bono and youth education initiatives globally. Comparable as a consultancy-anchored CSR education program, though business@school is BCG's flagship structured year-long curriculum while McKinsey's programs are more diffuse.
• Bain & Company — Social Impact / Young Leaders Programs: Global management consultancy supporting youth education, leadership, and social impact programs through employee volunteering and partnerships. Comparable as another top-tier consultancy running CSR education programming anchored on employee volunteer coaches.

Direct peers

• Junior Achievement (JA Worldwide): Global nonprofit delivering entrepreneurship, work-readiness, and financial literacy programs to K–12 students. Most direct comparable to business@school in mission, age group, and project-based business education model, but operates at materially larger global scale.
• Enactus: Global nonprofit mobilizing university students to lead social entrepreneurship projects; operates a parallel team-based, project-driven entrepreneurship competition format. Comparable in methodology (team projects, juried competitions) though skewed to university rather than secondary school audience.
• DECA (formerly Distributive Education Clubs of America): International student organization preparing high school and college students for careers in business, finance, hospitality, and marketing through competitions and chapter-based programming. Closely comparable competition-and-club architecture to business@school's Pitch-Events and Finals.
• BizWorld Foundation: U.S. nonprofit delivering project-based entrepreneurship education programs to elementary and middle school students through curriculum kits and competitions. Directly comparable in school-based, teacher-led delivery and business-plan competition arc.
• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE): U.S.-headquartered nonprofit providing entrepreneurship education to young people from low-income communities, with classroom curricula, business plan competitions, and teacher training. Comparable to business@school on the youth entrepreneurship, competition-driven methodology.

Regional players

• Founders4Schools: UK-based charity connecting students with business leaders and entrepreneurs through school visits and work-inspiration events. Comparable in connecting corporate volunteers with schools for career exploration, but operates in a single market and focuses on exposure rather than structured year-long curricula.
• Schulbank / Joachim Herz Stiftung educational programs: German foundation funding economic and entrepreneurship education programs for schools across Germany, including teacher training and classroom materials. Comparable in Germany-focused school-level economic education mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/businessatschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/businessatschool
• Instagraminstagram.com/businessatschool

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 BUSINESS@SCHOOL - A BCG INITIATIVE