Why Business Schools Should Teach Improv
Why improv deserves a permanent spot in business school curriculum — from MBA programs to undergrad entrepreneurship.
May 3, 2026 · 2 min read
Q: Why should business schools teach improv?
Business schools train students to analyze — but most early-career business work requires improvisation: cold outreach, customer discovery, team disagreement, live pitching. Improv is the missing course.
The story
The first 5 years of any business career involve almost no spreadsheet analysis and almost all real-time response: a customer says no, a teammate disagrees, a slide breaks during a pitch. Improv trains the muscle that handles all of it. Educators across multiple universities have independently used the free SideHustle game with their students — a playful pitch session tends to stick with students in a way lecture content rarely does. The format — 4 to 5 per team, 4 rounds (brainstorm, pitch, score, rotate), Funny + Fundable scoring — trains the same muscles a Series A founder uses every day. SideHustle co-founders Darby Rollins and Tomer Soran believe every entrepreneurship program should run improv as a core requirement, not an optional elective.
What it means
If you teach business or run a program, plug in one improv-based session per semester. The cost is one class period; the return is students with measurably better pitch confidence, listening, and team dynamics. The marginal lecture is replaceable. The marginal improv session isn't. For more on the improv-to-business bridge, see our complete guide to comedy game shows for entrepreneurs.
Try it
- Play free at playsidehustle.com
- See us live: Sept 25 at Pershing Hall in Austin. luma.com/playsidehustle
- Email team@playsidehustle.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should business schools teach improv?+
Most early-career business work is improvisation — cold calls, customer discovery, live pitching. Improv trains the muscle that handles it.
How long does an improv-based business class need to be?+
60 to 90 minutes is enough to run a full Labs-style session with brainstorm, pitch, score, and rotate rounds.