Level Up! HubSpot Student Marketing Competition

In November 2022, 70+ students from across the United States competed in HubSpot's first marketing simulation competition! Learn more about our winners and check back for updates on future competitions!
Group of a students studying in the university library

Competition Overview

A chance for students to put their marketing skills to the test! 

Level Up is a virtual marketing simulation competition for undergraduate college and university students! This competition provides an opportunity for students to work together in teams to develop a successful marketing and business strategy using Hubro's Marketing Simulation.

During our 2022 competition, teams of up to 4 students competed against other teams from across the United States to analyze the market, design products, manage promotion and distribution, set prices, and invest in technologies to create equity in their virtual business. Teams also completed a written exercise focused on developing content offers with the theories of Inbound Methodology in mind. 

This competition provided an excellent opportunity for students with an interest or academic background in principles of marketing, marketing management, marketing strategy, and entrepreneurship to compete for prizes and practice their marketing skills in a realistic scenario. 

  • It was very interactive and so much fun. There were so many different things to look at and make decisions about; it really was anyone's game. Personally, I love looking at data analytics to create marketing strategies, so this competition fit really well with my interests.

  • I really liked being able to collaboration with my team and bounce ideas off of one another trying to assume what our competitors were doing, etc.

  • Before the simulation I didn't know what to expect. After I tested the simulation, I was not expecting it to be so fast paced. That's what made it super exciting!

  • SO MUCH FUN!!! Please do this again, it was the highlight of my month.

    2022 Competition Winners

    HubSpot Video

    2022 Winner Announcement

    See our winner's reactions and hear what strategies they used to excel in this year's competition! 

    Special thank you to Esme Brandal-Canns, International Higher Education Consultant from Hubro Education who supported our competition and shared feedback with our winning teams. 

    First Place Winners
    First Place - Sam Houston State University 
    2-Dec-14-2022-06-29-04-3772-PM
    Second Place - Cornell University/Emory University
    3-Dec-14-2022-06-29-32-0683-PM
    Third Place
    Suffolk University

    Superlative Awards

    Highest Scoring Individual Competitor 

    Colby Wynn 
    University of Southern Mississippi 

    Best Company Brand

    Tiana Ly, Fiona Affronti, Jeffrey Mun
    University of California Santa Barbara 

     

    Highest Scoring Written Exercise 

    Linh An, Jamie Lee, Melissa Tran, Cynthia Liang
    University of Southern California Santa Barbara 

    "Comeback Kids"
    Strongest Improvement Over the Course of the Competition 

    Benjamin Li, Jena Lakhani, Arianna Fuentes, Dhanu Navaneethan
    University of Texas Austin 

    Sponsors

      Frequently Asked Questions

      Each team will manage one company. To win the competition you will be measured on a combination of:

      1. Simulation performance measured through Equity
      2. Your team's answers to knowledge exercises related to HubSpot's Inbound Methodology and other marketing fundamentals.
      Simulation performance will be worth 60% of the score and answers to exercise questions will be worth 40% of the score".

      The competition will begin promptly at 10:00 AM CT and teams will have 4 hours to complete the simulation. Teams are encouraged to take breaks as needed during the competition. 

      Program Schedule

      10:00 AM  - Competition Kickoff & Teams Check-in 

      10:15 AM - Welcome & Competition Overview 

      10:30 AM - Competition Begins 

      12:30 PM - Lunch Break 

      1:00 PM - Competition Continues 

      3:00 PM - Competition Ends, Networking, and Score Review 

      3:30 PM - Winners are Announced 

      Professors from participating institutions are invited to assign students to teams. If your professor has not done this, students are welcome to self-select a team of up to 4 people. 

      4 is the ideal number of teammates for this simulation, however, teams of 2 or 3 are also acceptable.

      All teams must apply together and submit one application per team. 

      One week prior to the competition, teams will receive access to a test simulation. It is important that you explore this test simulation thoroughly. It will introduce you to your virtual business and allow you to familiarize yourself with the simulation platform. 

      We also encourage you to review fundamentals from your marketing courses and research HubSpot. Helpful resources include:  

       

      All competing students will need access to a computer to access the simulation. 

      HubSpot certifications are not a requirement for the competition. However, students who are familiar with HubSpot tools and Inbound Methodology will be able to earn competitive advantages. 

      No, students can create a team with a mix of students from different colleges and universities. However, at least one student from the team needs to have a professor in HubSpot's Education Partner Program. 

      If you are unsure if your professor is a part of the Education Partner Program, reach out to cboyce@hubspot.com

      Yes, if you are interested in offering this as an extra credit opportunity please reach out to cboyce@hubspot.com. Our team will confirm the participation of your students after the competition. 

      First Place

      • Meeting with Kipp Bodnar, HubSpot's Cheif Marketing Officer 
      • $600 America Express Gift Card
      • Ultimate HubSpot Gift Box 

      Second Place 

      • $400 America Express Gift Card
      • Ultimate HubSpot Gift Box 

      Third Place 

      • $200 America Express Gift Card
      • Ultimate HubSpot Gift Box