Startup Scalability Challenge '26
Let a team of Master Business Administration students help you with your startup scalability challenges related to organizational design, team composition, and company culture.
Description
✅ Key features of the challenge
- Students per team: 4-5 students
- Programme: Master Business Administration (UvA)
- Course: Rethinking Startup Scalability: People and Organisational Issues
- No. of hours spent per team: 120 hours
- Duration: April – May
- Deliverables: Presentation and report (in the form of slides) with recommendations and an implementation plan.
- Company time investment: 4-10 hours (short meetings, interviews, final presentation, etc.)
- Matching fee: None
📑 Challenge Examples
The student teams can work on challenges like, but not limited to, the following:
- Help us select and implement a suitable organizational structure to facilitate role definition and decision-making rights during rapid growth.
- Advise us on how to build a scaleable talent acquisition strategy.
- Investigate our company culture and advise us on how to determine the cultural attributes that matter most as we scale.
- Help us approach the topic of diversity, equity, and inclusion and develop an adaptive toolbox for more inclusive scaling.
🏢 Requirement for participating companies
- Startup/scale-up with a strong growth ambition.
- At least 5-8 people already employed at the company and plans to significantly scale the organization.
- Growing or expected to start growing soon.
📨 How to apply
You can submit the challenge directly through the website. Provide a title that summarizes the challenge. Subsequently, briefly elaborate on your challenge (max. 150 words). Click here for a template you can use or use the AI Challenge Generator (see template).
🗓 Planning
- March 24: Deadline for submitting your challenge
- March 24 (or sooner): Receiving message if your challenge is approved by the Course Coordinator
- April 3-6: Matching phase
- April 7: Matches are communicated
- April 8-16: Kick-off meeting with your team
- May 19, 11:00 – 15:00: Final presentations in time slots of 20 minutes (after you are matched to a team, we will schedule your slot)
Submit Challenge
Submitting a challenge is easy. Provide a short title, some context and company details. We will review your challenge and if needed contact you to discuss.
Startup Scalability Challenge '26
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