Pricing & business model
Find the price your customers will pay
We help early-stage founders
crack their hardest problems
grel
A free three-month consulting program by Master's and MBA students from ESMT Berlin, Germany's #1 business school.
FREE
for every startup we select~5
ESMT students on your team25+
hours on your problem, every weekWhy founders apply
- It's free.No fees for any startup we select.
- A whole team on your problem.Around five students, 25+ hours a week, three months.
- Experience at the table.Every team mixes Master's students with MBAs who bring at least three years of work experience.
- Light on your time.Two to three meetings is all we need. You decide how often we talk beyond that.
- Results you can use.Founders from 2026 got a sellable platform from their ESMT consultants, clear plans and recommendations ready to put into practice.
- Confidential.Everything you share stays confidential, and we sign an NDA with every selected startup.
- On stage at ESMT.We present every selected startup to the whole school at our kickoff event in December.
What we work on
Financial planning
Projections ready for your next round
Market & competitors
Know your market and who you're up against
Go-to-market
First customers, new markets, a sales process
KPIs & impact metrics
Measure what moves your business
Pitch deck & story
A pitch investors remember
Operations
Supply chain, logistics and daily processes
And whatever your startup needs most
Master's and MBA, in every team
Each startup gets its own team of around five students. We always mix Master's students from their first and second year with MBA students, usually two per team. Every MBA brings at least three years of professional experience, so you get sharp analysis and real industry know-how at the same table.
"Working in pairs increased accountability, improved the quality of thinking, and allowed for faster iteration on ideas."
Our consultants come from
Master in Global Management#1 in Germany (FT Masters in Management 2025)
Master in Innovation & EntrepreneurshipFuture founders and venture builders
Master in Analytics & Artificial IntelligenceData, analytics and AI for business
MBAAt least three years of work experience
Startups we've worked with
EKON Studio
Berlin · Consulting for SMEs and family businesses
- Consulted Jan–Mar 2026
- Defined impact and ROI metrics for client transformations
- Received a digital platform from their ESMT consultants that EKON now uses with its clients
WeekOne
Berlin · HR tech, AI-powered onboarding
- Consulted Jan–Mar 2026
- Consultants worked in pairs on real business challenges
- Rated the program 5/5
grel
Grel
Udine, Italy · Circular economy, composting
- Consulted Jan–Mar 2026
- Business model, pricing and go-to-market
- Rated the program 5/5
Lexora Learn
London · EdTech, dyslexia training app for children
- Consulted Jan–Mar 2026
- Pricing, financial plan and UK market entry
Is your startup a fit?
- Early stage. Founded less than two years ago, ideally before any big funding round.
- Small team. A handful of people who make the calls themselves.
- A clear problem. One to three specific challenges in strategy, marketing, finance, operations or growth. "Build a pricing model for our B2B plan" works. "Help with marketing" is too vague.
- Berlin or remote. Berlin makes meeting in person easy. In 2026 we also worked with startups in London and Udine.
- Hungry to grow. You're ready to take feedback and act on it.
Don't tick every box? Apply anyway. We love a good surprise.
How it works
- 1
Apply
Tell us about your startup in two minutes. Applications close {{APPLICATION_DEADLINE}}.
- 2
Discovery call
A 30-minute call with two of our students to understand your startup and your challenge.
- 3
Selection11 December 2026
Our members pitch every startup and vote on who joins the program.
- 4
Kickoff14 December 2026
We present the selected startups to all of ESMT and build your team.
- 5
ConsultingJanuary to March 2027
Your team works on your challenge, with regular check-ins and milestone sessions.
- 6
Final presentationend of March 2027
Your team hands over its results and recommendations.
What founders say
"The consulting team built a full-on product we can sell which was way beyond our expectations."
"The group has done 150% of the 100% deliverable."
"I felt they understood my business problem and need before I did."
"They didn't just stay at a theoretical level, they consistently pushed toward practical outcomes that we can directly use…"
"It was all perfect!!"
Apply in two minutes
Eight quick questions about you and your startup. If it's a match, two of our students will set up a 30-minute call with you.
Apply as a startupApplications close {{APPLICATION_DEADLINE}}. Selection on 11 December 2026.
Everything you share stays strictly confidential. We only use it for the program, and your ideas and intellectual property remain yours.