What’s the real impact of startup planning software in Education?
Independent research into SimVenture’s startup planning education platform, Validate, reveals strong gains in learning, engagement and employability skills.
Earlier this year, SimVenture commissioned an independent external consultant to research and evaluate the educational impact of Validate, our startup planning and idea validation platform. We did this for one simple reason: to understand, with evidence, how Validate is actually being used in classrooms and what difference it makes to teaching and learning.
In the spirit of transparency, we’re sharing the key findings from the final report completed in September 2025, alongside what we’re doing next as a result of this research.
The short answer?
Validate is delivering strong outcomes for educators and learners alike, often beyond what teachers initially hoped for.
About the research
In July 2025, a survey was sent to all active Validate educators.
23 teachers responded, representing a broad mix of:
- Schools, colleges and universities
- Diploma, undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD-level teaching
- Entrepreneurship, business, engineering, creative disciplines and employability modules
- New users and long-term adopters (over 3 years of use)
The consultant also reviewed:
- Existing Validate case studies and testimonials
- Platform analytics from 2023-2025
- Patterns of engagement across the academic year
This triangulation allowed for a balanced view of impact, limitations and opportunities for growth.
Validate is a highly valued teaching tool
Across the responses, educators consistently described Validate as:
- Structured
- Straightforward
- Realistic
- Step-by-step
- Easy to integrate into group and individual work
The majority agreed that Validate:
- Enhances teaching practice
- Makes teaching and planning easier
- Improves assessment consistency
- Supports independent, self-directed learning
One educator summarised it perfectly:
“Hands-on experiential learning where students are building on their own work.”
Strong evidence of improved learner outcomes
Educators reported that learner outcomes met or exceeded expectations, particularly students who:
- Had little or no prior business knowledge
- Came from engineering or creative backgrounds
- Struggled with traditional, text-heavy business plans
Examples of standout outcomes included:
- Increased student confidence and satisfaction
- Higher quality and consistency of assessed work
- Students independently developing viable business ideas
- Several ideas progressing into registered student start-ups, some with early success
- Improved entries to funding competitions
“Many students unfamiliar with business theory delivered high-quality, original business plans after using Validate.”
Business Model Canvas leads the way
The Business Model Canvas (BMC) was overwhelmingly identified as Validate’s most valuable feature.
Educators highlighted that the interactive BMC:
- Breaks complex concepts into manageable steps
- Helps students visualise how ideas fit together
- Encourages pragmatic, evidence-based thinking
- Makes value propositions clearer and more realistic
- Is particularly accessible for students from diverse or non-business backgrounds
As one lecturer noted:
“The BMC is most relevant and useful in assessing students’ business ideas.”
Beyond entrepreneurship: broader uses are emerging
While Validate is most commonly used in entrepreneurship and business education, the research uncovered something particularly encouraging:
Educators are using Validate in ways that go beyond its original remit.
Examples include:
- Employability skills modules
- Innovation and creativity development
- Assessment and portfolio-based learning
- Promoting collaboration and teamwork
- Supporting cross-curricular connections
One programme even redesigned an employability skills module around Validate, citing its ability to mirror real-world project management and teamwork.
This versatility is opening the door for Validate’s use across a much wider range of disciplines.
Increased engagement and independent learning
The majority of educators reported a clear positive impact on learner engagement.
Students were described as:
- More confident using business language
- More willing to explore complex ideas
- More engaged during workshops
- More likely to work independently and in their own time
Validate’s ability to save progress and return to projects was highlighted as particularly important for sustained engagement over a semester.
“Students like being able to leave and come back to the project in stages – it really helps ongoing engagement.
Platform analytics support this, showing that while usage follows academic rhythms, time spent on Validate increases steadily, suggesting deeper engagement among active users.
Developing skills beyond the learning outcomes
One of the most powerful findings was the most educators observed skills development beyond their original learning objectives.
A word cloud analysis highlighted:
- Confidence (the most prominent outcome)
- Collaboration
- Research
- Analysis and discussion
- Financial literacy and teamwork
One educator summed it up clearly:
“CONFIDENCE. The single most impactful skill.”
This reinforces Validate’s role not just as a teaching tool, but as a capability-building platform.
Preparing learners for the workplace
An overwhelming majority of educators agreed that Validate helps prepare learners for real work environments by:
- Encouraging evidence-based decision making
- Introducing students to industry language and frameworks
- Developing teamwork and project management skills
- Supporting innovation and commercial thinking
- Helping learners understand sustainability and feasibility
Importantly, one industry partner already using Validate commented positively when students arrived familiar with the platform – a strong signal a real-world relevance.
Honest feedback and areas for improvement
The research wasn’t just positive – and that’s intentional.
Constructive feedback focused on:
- The need for stronger onboarding for new educators
- Supporting students who need encouragement to engage
- Ensuring the structure doesn’t feel limiting to creativity
Notably, most of this feedback came from early adopters, highlighting the importance of early support and guidance.
What we’re doing next
Based on these findings, the SimVenture team is already taking action.
New onboarding system launched (September 2025)
We’ve overhauled our onboarding process and are actively gathering feedback to continuously improve it.
Building a community of practice
We’re exploring ways to connect experienced and new Validate educators through:
- Webinars
- Shared resources
- Best-practice examples
- Peer learning opportunities
Expanding teaching resources
Including:
- Lesson plans
- Creativity-focused activities
- Cross-disciplinary use cases
Ongoing research
We’re invesigating:
- Improvements to financial modelling features
- Terminology clarity
- Opportunities for longitudinal impact studies
Final thoughts
This independent research confirms what many educators have been telling us for years:
Validate works.
The platform is proven to:
- Improve learner outcomes
- Enhance engagement
- Build confidence and employability skills
- Support educators in delivering modern, relevant education
At the same time, it has given us valuable insights into how we can make Validate even better.
We’d like to thank every educator who contributed to the research – and we’re excited to continue evolving Validate alongside our growing global community.
Interested in seeing how Validate could work in your course or institution?
Book a demo with the SimVenture team or explore our testimonials and case studies to learn more.
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