Capitalism Lab Scenario Games

Eighteen scenarios, each with its own starting position, its own constraints and its own definition of winning.

Home Comforts Co.

The market for home furnishings and appliances is booming, and people are investing more than ever in comfortable, stylish living spaces. Start with high-quality furniture, then expand into home appliances until you are a one-stop shop for everything a home needs.

Fashion Venture

After years of struggling to raise capital, your fashion startup is finally launching — five years behind established competitors. You will need to carve out a niche for a new brand in an industry that is already crowded.

Real Estate Mogul

A newly-funded CEO with hundreds of millions from investors and one mission: make your corporation the world’s premier real estate developer. Strategic expansion, shrewd acquisitions and innovative development — your decisions shape skylines.

Breakthrough in Training

A breakthrough in training methodology has raised corporate training efficiency by up to 100%. Companies everywhere are adopting it, yours included — and the question is how far you can push workforce productivity with it before the advantage becomes ordinary.

Luxury Goods Empire

Jewelry, timepieces, cosmetics and leather goods. The challenge is not crafting exceptional products — it is cultivating a brand that carries exclusivity, heritage and timeless appeal, and convincing a discerning elite of it.

Toys and Gadgets

You run a toy company and know that market well. Dominate it first, then use that success to move into electronic gadgets and personal communication devices — two markets where your existing expertise counts for much less.

Corporate Leadership

Hiring costs are cut to 20% of normal, so assemble an exceptional management team cheaply while you can. The catch: aggressive expansion is what keeps those executives confident enough to stay.

China Opening Up

1990s China, with economic reform in full swing and billions in foreign investment arriving. Build factories on low labor costs and a retail presence for brand awareness — because when wages rise and demand for high-end products follows, the foothold you took early is what pays.

Food and Beverage

A seasoned entrepreneur striking out alone with tens of millions in investor funding, and a promise to focus on food and beverage. Specialization drives the early growth; once you dominate the sector, bigger challenges follow.

Legendary Investor

Not an operator but an investor. Accumulate $1 billion in personal wealth and take control of five public companies — directly, or through a holding company you manage.

Media Empire

Start with modest resources and expand across every media sector until your company is the undisputed leader of the worldwide media landscape.

Legacy Brand

You have bought the brand assets of a defunct company that people still remember. Launch high-quality products under that name and they arrive with immediate consumer recognition — no advertising needed to be noticed. Can you return it to its former glory?

Family Farm Business

A twofold mission: grow high-quality crops, and build a retail presence overseas to sell your farm’s products direct to consumers. Agricultural expertise on one side, an unfamiliar foreign retail operation on the other.

Opportunities in Small Cities

The open source movement has halved technology costs, and four small cities look like better prospects than the fiercely competitive first tier. Lean operations and quick maneuvering are the whole strategy.

Dilemma of a Camera Manufacturer

Film still dominates, digital is rising, and you have investor funding and a decision to make: pour everything into digital R&D now and possibly revolutionize the market, or start with the film cameras you know and transition gradually.

Tech Leader

A tech genius with one conviction: superior technical innovation is what wins consumer markets. Your extraordinary technical ability is the engine of the whole company.

Multinational Corporation

Heir to a conservative Australian family business that has thrived by staying local. You want a multinational future — and to get the family’s backing you must first prove yourself on larger operations and real profits.

Electric Car Pioneer

You see the potential of electric vehicles long before anyone else does. The target: a 70% share of the future electric car market, and at least $3 million in monthly trade revenue from your factory’s electric car sales alone.

Getting there means research into electric motors and high-performance batteries, outmaneuvering competitors, and anticipating demand that does not exist yet.