The Burgos-based team Julia Varona, Sara Herrera, Abril Merino, and Alicia Villar, who are senior-year students at the IES Comuneros de Castilla in Burgos, have been crowned ‘the best virtual entrepreneurs in Spain’ after winning the fifteenth national final of Young Business Talents, the largest business-simulation competition organized by ABANCA and Praxis MMT.
The Burgos-based winning team demonstrated strong business talent and leadership skills by outperforming 340 students from 78 schools across Spain who gathered for the finals. The winners managed their virtual food company, specializing in dairy products, as efficiently as possible and achieved the highest profitability, placing their firm among the top financial performers of all participants.
Decision-making, strategy, and business vision were key to staying ahead of their rivals and winning. The winners stood out for their teamwork and clear communication when making strategic decisions in key areas such as marketing, sales, production, human resources, and finance, to position their virtual company as a market leader and avoid bankruptcy.
The second place went to four students from IES Ordes in La Coruña who are in their final year of compulsory secondary education (4th ESO), while third place went to four students in their second year of Bachillerato at Colegio Samaniego in Alcantarilla, Murcia.
In fourth place were three more students from IES Ordes (La Coruña) enrolled in the first year of the middle-grade vocational training program (1º de Grado Medio), while the fifth place went to three pre-university students in their second year of Bachillerato at IES Francisco de los Ríos in Fernán Núñez (Córdoba).
High Level
“The level we’ve seen today among the young people confirms that there exists a generation that is highly prepared, with great talent and enormous potential. Not only have we seen students competing, but true executives in action. The participants have not only acquired knowledge but have learned to apply it with judgment, to make complex decisions, and to adapt to a changing context, which is exactly what today’s professional world demands. This type of experience allows students to face real-world situations and develop skills that are hard to obtain through theory alone,” says Nuño Nogués, director of the Young Business Talents educational competition.
During the final, more than 300 finalists—students from middle school, high school, and vocational-education programs—became true executives, personally running a company by directing their own virtual firm using an advanced business-simulation platform that exposed them to real-world company scenarios, such as shifts in demand, price fluctuations, and competitive decisions. Throughout the day, teams analyzed data, defined strategies, and made real-time decisions with the aim of maximizing profitability and positioning themselves as the most competitive firm in the market.
The road to this national final, which caps off the educational competition, has been demanding. This edition kicked off last November with the participation of a total of 11,187 pre-university students from 406 schools across Spain, and only the top teams earned a spot in the final. Students competed from classrooms in online rounds with guidance from their teachers, giving them a risk-free, lab-like experience to learn about business management from the inside.
Beyond the competition, the program gives thousands of young people the chance to personally experience running a company in a competitive environment that realistically mirrors market dynamics. Participating schools receive the business simulators free of charge, an innovative learning tool that allows students to apply theoretical knowledge in a realistic setting.
The winning teams shared more than €10,000 in prizes, awarded to both students and teachers, in addition to receiving certificates that will enrich their professional development. With this victory, Burgos joined the Young Business Talents roll of honors, led by Tarragona with four wins, followed by Pontevedra with three and Barcelona with two. Madrid, Murcia, Córdoba, Castellón, and Valladolid have each captured the title once.
