Experience Business ESEG: High School Students Take Over Smartphone Company

Last Saturday, May 9th, the ESEG College campus transformed into a true hub of strategy and marketing with the holding of another edition of... Experience Business. 

The event brought together students from Colégio Etapa for an immersion in the corporate world through an interactive and competitive business simulation.

The Experience Business ESEG Challenge

During the activity, participants took on the management of companies in the smartphone sector and had to make strategic decisions related to marketing, human resources, production, investments, pricing, supplies, and operational expansion.

Throughout the rounds, the groups analyzed indicators such as market share, profit, and revenue, in addition to monitoring the results of competing teams to adjust their strategies within the simulator.

According to the coordinator of Business Administration courses According to José Guilherme Ferraz, from the Department of Economics and responsible for Experience Negócios, the event's goal is to bring students closer to the reality of business management.

“"Students need to decide how much to invest in advertising, innovation, hiring staff, benefits, salaries, machinery, and even loans. It's a set of decisions that simulates the real-life experience of a company," the professor explained.

Each team started the competition with an initial amount of inventory and needed to manage resources strategically.

If production reached its operational limit, participants had the option to purchase more raw materials, hire employees, and invest in new machinery.

In addition to operational decisions, the students also had access to competitors' reports, which allowed them to analyze the performance of other teams and adapt their strategies throughout the competition.

The process was divided into four rounds, each representing different market moments. At the end, the companies' performance was evaluated based on the profit accumulated throughout the entire experiment.

“"It's interesting because students start observing what competitors are doing to achieve better results, and they need to make increasingly strategic decisions to become the best company in the market," José Guilherme pointed out.

Defense for the evaluation panel

After the rounds, the participants presented the results to an evaluation panel made up of professors and students from ESEG, practicing skills in argumentation, communication, and defending business decisions.

For Rafael Cerqueira, a student at Colégio Etapa, the experience provided a practical approach to the business field.

“"The ESEG experience is really great because it's an area I really enjoy, especially communication. Here I was able to interact a lot with my group and better understand how managing a company works," he stated.

Economics professor Edgard Rodrigues also highlighted the importance of the activity in helping students choose a profession.

“"The simulation gives high school students the opportunity to experience a business competition. This helps many of them confirm their desire to pursue careers such as Business Administration, Production Engineering, etc.", Computer Engineering, "Law or Economics," the professor commented.

Victory based on strategy (and risk)

The winning group highlighted that the key to first place was the courage to take calculated risks and the intense exchange between team members. The final result demonstrated impressive business maturity on the part of these young talents.

Among the winners, Bruno Machado Feltran highlighted the practical nature of the experience.

“"It was a very interactive day and we were able to learn a lot about how to manage a company. The simulator really gave us the opportunity to understand what the day-to-day business life is like," he said.

Guilherme Bronzon de Castro highlighted the lessons learned related to risk-taking and strategy.

“"The experience has been very valuable for my future, especially in terms of managing risks and understanding the importance of strategy within a company," he stated.

Larissa Mitsue Yamamoto also commented on how the activity helped her reflect on her career.

“"It was really cool because it helped me understand better what I would like to do in the future," the student concluded.

The winning students earned a scholarship of 100% to enroll at ESEG College in 2027.

Check out the big winners of the ESEG Business Experience – 2026:

• Bruno Machado Feltran
• Larissa Mitsue Yamamoto
• Eduardo Masson Guimaraes
• Guilherme Bronzon de Castro
• Guilherme Graminholi Gonçalves
• Caio Augusto Herculino Coelho

With proposals that combine practice, strategy, and teamwork, Experience Negócios reinforces the commitment of ESEG College to provide experiences that bring students closer to the reality of the market and professional development.