Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) hosted the first round of the Virtual Business Challenge (VBC) sponsored by Knowledge Matters from October 17 to October 27. The competition featured eight different simulations, or tracks, that students could participate in individually or in teams of up to three. A total of 44 Edison High teams participated, some of which managed to achieve top in the state for their tracks.
Each simulation was made to test and develop a team’s business skills, such as market research and risk analysis. Managerial skills were also required in the VBC Entrepreneurship, VBC Fashion, DECA Hotel Challenge, VBC Restaurant, VBC Retailing, and VBC Sports events, all of which offered teams the opportunity to run a business. VBC Accounting required teams to present solutions to accounting issues in businesses, and VBC Personal Finance was a simulation of personal wealth, in which the goal was to obtain the highest net worth.
“Stackin Racks,” consisting of Vedik Upadhyay ‘24, Roneel Shah ‘24, and Pranav Devaraju ‘24, ranked first in New Jersey for VBC Entrepreneurship. Additionally, “The Rizzadores,” consisting of Abi Adif ‘25, Arnold Zamora ‘25, and Sarvesh Premkumaar ‘25, ranked third in the state for the same track.
“We had to make businesses, a maximum of two, and try to optimize them,” said Devaraju. “We ran the simulation twice total. The first time took four days and we tried to analyze every little detail so that we could learn and implement it into the second run. The second run took us around 45 minutes to implement all the things we learned in the first full simulation.”
The teams’ success caught the eye of Edison High School DECA advisor Ms. Lynne Tierney, who praised the simulation for its effectiveness as a teaching tool.
“Last year was the first year any EHS student participated in the VBC, so it was a learning experience,” said Tierney. “What I like about the challenge is that student teams can work their way through the simulation, and then, if they’ve done it quickly enough, have time to go back and do it again making different choices. In real life, businesses don’t always have that option.”
The second round of the VBC begins on January 16 and ends on January 26.
“We will definitely take what we learned from this one week window that the sim was open and take it into the next round in mid-January and do a lot better,” said Devaraju.
The teams understand that the simulation is not only a competition, though.
“Regardless of the results, we are just looking to have fun,” said Premkumaar. “The competition has been very fun for me to participate in, mainly because of the group members I have been working with, all of whom are some of my best friends.”
The winners of the second round will be invited alongside those who win the NJ State Career Development Conference in Atlantic City to attend the DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Anaheim, California from April 27 to April 30.
