When Sheraa Called, We Brought the Simulation
Visionaries partnered with Sheraa, Sharjah's entrepreneurship centre, to deliver a 2.5-hour gamified workshop using Business Heroes. The premise was simple: replace a traditional lecture on business fundamentals with a live business simulation and measure what happens.
The 22 participants were predominantly STEM founders — 77% from technical backgrounds — averaging age 21.8 and seeking practical business skills to complement their technical expertise.
The Workshop Structure
Participants were placed directly into the Business Heroes simulation with minimal preamble. Each managed a food truck business in the simulation, making real-time decisions about pricing, product mix, location strategy, and customer targeting.
The facilitator introduced concepts only as participants encountered them organically in gameplay. Pricing strategy was not taught as theory — it was discovered when a participant underpriced their menu and watched margins collapse. Customer segmentation was not defined in a slide — it became obvious when different districts attracted different customer profiles.
Measuring What Matters
Using retrospective pre-test methodology across 17 valid responses, we measured skill gains across core business competencies.
The results were unambiguous:
- +42% improvement in pricing strategy understanding
- +40% improvement in customer segmentation knowledge
- +33% improvement in product development comprehension
- +20% increase in entrepreneurial confidence
What Participants Said
When asked to compare the simulation to a traditional lecture covering the same material, 88% rated the simulation more effective. Zero participants — not one — found it less effective than a lecture.
The workshop achieved an 88% interest rate for future sessions, with participants requesting longer and more advanced formats. The Net Promoter Score came in at +53, placing the experience firmly in the "excellent" category.
Why This Works for STEM Founders
STEM founders typically have deep technical skills but limited exposure to business fundamentals. Traditional business workshops feel foreign — the vocabulary, the frameworks, the case study format. None of it connects to how engineers and developers think.
A simulation works differently. It presents business as a system — inputs, outputs, feedback loops, optimisation problems. STEM founders immediately recognise this structure. They do not need to learn a new language. They need to apply their existing problem-solving skills to a new domain.
Replicable Results
The Sheraa workshop results are consistent with outcomes from our Khalifa University programme, where participants showed a 47% increase in business confidence. Two different institutions, two different student groups, the same pattern: simulation-based learning delivers measurable, repeatable outcomes.
For entrepreneurship centres, incubators, and accelerators looking for a workshop format that actually moves the needle on business acumen, the evidence is building.
Interested in running a similar workshop? Get in touch with our team to discuss a tailored programme for your institution.
