Strategy& Business Course - Grounds for Growth

Help a coffee company reach their sustainability goals

After five successful editions of our business course Walk the Talk, we are excited to introduce our refreshed and reimagined Business Course: Grounds for Growth. This May, we will once again travel to Paris—same inspiring location, a completely new and improved case.

At Strategy&, we help create sustainable change by solving the problems that matter most: for our clients, and for the world. During this Business Course, you will step directly into the shoes of a strategy consultant and experience life at Strategy& from the inside.

Together with a group of ambitious students and a team of Strategy& consultants, you will help a coffee company reach its sustainability ambitions.

Dates to remember

March 1st: Application deadline
March 8th: Assessment deadline
March 18th: Crack a Case workshop
March 31st–April 3rd: Case interviews
April 15th: Selection call
May 6th: Pre-event Business Course
May 19th–22nd: Business Course - Grounds for Growth

Experience Grounds for Growth: Paris

A four-day strategy adventure

On Tuesday, 19 May, we depart for Paris: the city of romance, world-class cuisine, and of course, the Paris Climate Agreement.

During your days in Paris, you and your team will rethink the value chain of a global coffee cup producer. Your challenge: maximizing efficiency while minimizing environmental impact. It’s an opportunity to showcase your analytical skills and discover how strategy consultants approach complex, real-world sustainability questions.

There will also be plenty of time to explore the city and get to know our consultants in an informal way.

Back to Amsterdam

On Thursday afternoon, we travel back to Amsterdam. You’ll meet the rest of our Amsterdam office and experience our open and collaborative culture.
On Friday, you will finalize your strategic recommendation and present your results to a panel of experts, closing the Business Course on Friday afternoon.

Learn, grow, and get coached by Strategy& consultants

Your personal development is central to this experience. Throughout the Business Course, you will receive:

Training sessions led by our consultants
Coaching and guidance during the case
Constructive feedback helping you identify your strengths and development opportunities

Who are we looking for?

We welcome talented students who are:

Recent graduates, Master’s students, or 3rd-year Bachelor students
From all academic backgrounds and all universities
Enrolled at a Dutch university
Fluent in Dutch

No specific experience is required, just curiosity, strong academic performance, and an interest in strategy consulting.

Selection process

The selection process for Grounds for Growth consists of a CV selection, an online assessment, and a round of two case interviews.

The application deadline for submitting your CV, high school and university transcripts and cover letter is March 1st 2026 at 23:59 hrs.

On March 2nd we will inform you whether or not you have been selected for the online assessment. You will have to complete the online assessment by March 8th. Based on the assessment outcomes, you will be invited for the interview round. In preparation for the interviews, we will organize a Crack a Case workshop on March 18th from 19:00-21:00 for those invited to the interview round. In this workshop you learn how to prepare for your case interviews.

The case interviews will take place on the following days:

31 March, 1, 2, 3 April

Participants who are successful in securing a business course position will be informed personally before April 15th, 2026.

Do I need special skills or a specific background to attend Grounds for Growth?

We are looking for talented recent graduates, Master’s students and 3rd year Bachelor students from all academic backgrounds and universities. No specific background or expertise is required to attend. What counts is your intellectual curiosity, strong academic performance, and interest in strategy consulting. We welcome all students enrolled at universities in the Netherlands. Fluency in Dutch is required for this Business Course.

What Grounds for Growth offers you

Insight into the world of strategy consulting at Strategy&
Teamwork with other talented students and Strategy& consultants
A dedicated personal mentor for feedback and career questions
Experience with strategy work focused on sustainability
The chance to collaborate with other highly motivated students from across the Netherlands
And of course… an unforgettable experience in Paris