As part of a strategy-focused practice project at the University of St. Gallen, three fellow students and I had the opportunity to collaborate with the dynamic start-up Studyond. From March to May 2025, we visited their office several times for interviews – talking to everyone from the CEO to the sales team and product developers – and were even invited to join a key internal strategy meeting. The experience offered a wealth of learning: from strategic complexity to spontaneous Instagram reels and invaluable career tips. And because we – as Master’s students nearing graduation – are part of Studyond’s target group ourselves, the collaboration had an added depth and mutual benefit.
Guiding Questions
Throughout our project, three core questions guided our exploration:
- How does a start-up build its product while simultaneously establishing itself as a company?
- What does strategy work look like in an environment that may not explicitly talk about "strategy" – but makes strategic decisions every day?
- And how does Studyond manage to meaningfully connect three key stakeholder groups – students, companies, and universities – on a single platform?
Every visit to Studyond was shaped by energy and change. Even just a few weeks between meetings revealed visible evolution: a new award, a newly signed partner company, the planning of a university event. The pace of development at Studyond was contagious. We were especially impressed by the enthusiasm and dedication the team brought to growing their business. Our conversations brought theory and practice together. We realized: strategy isn’t just about abstract planning or academic frameworks – it’s about continuously adapting to real-world conditions. What use is the best strategy theory if real-life practice demands entirely different responses? We don’t need either-or thinking, but both-and.
Alongside our visits, we read foundational texts like Mintzberg & Waters (1985). Comparing lived experience with strategic theory deepened my understanding of strategy work significantly. Theory-practice synergy has become a cornerstone of my personal learning journey.
Or, as Philipp from Studyond aptly put it: “Planning is everything, plans are nothing.”
A sentence I will never forget – not because of a textbook footnote, but because it came with a story and context that brought it to life.
Strategy as a Living Process: The “Chicken-Egg-Rooster” Dilemma
So what did we learn about strategy development through our project with Studyond?
We saw firsthand how a young, platform-based company navigates complex strategic decisions – and how dynamic and organic this process truly is. One key insight: Studyond’s strategy isn’t a rigid master plan but an ongoing negotiation process.
One of Studyond’s biggest challenges lies in connecting three very different stakeholder groups: students, companies, and universities. Each has its own interests, timelines, and communication logic. As a result, strategic work is less about optimizing individual user journeys and more about orchestrating an entire ecosystem.
We playfully referred to this as the “Chicken-Egg-Rooster Problem” – a nod to the circular dependencies among the three groups.
We discovered that Studyond addresses this complexity with an interplay of micro-strategies: strategic resource management (e.g., via student ambassadors or academic partnerships), iterative product development (e.g., continuous prototyping and user feedback), and tailored messaging for each stakeholder group.
Another key takeaway: strategy happens in daily routines. Studyond relies on recurring meetings – weeklies, monthlies, and quarterlies – not just for planning, but to reflect and realign strategically. The goal isn’t rigid targets but the collective search for the best idea. Internally, this principle is affectionately known as the “Fight for the Best Idea.”
A highlight for us was participating in a quarterly strategy session, where employees collaboratively refined the company’s strategy map in a lively, inclusive atmosphere.
These observations echo what Mintzberg & Waters (1985) described decades ago: strategy is not just what is planned but also what emerges from everyday practice. This blend of intention, experience, and adaptation also aligns with Whittington’s “Strategy-as-Practice” framework (1996), which emphasizes the routines and interactions of people as the true site where strategy is made, questioned, and evolved.
At Studyond, we saw this, for example, in how onboarding priorities were set across stakeholder groups. The core question: which group acts as a “gatekeeper” and motivates the others to join the platform?
In summary, our collaboration with Studyond gave us deep insight into how strategy is crafted and lived in a young, platform-based organization. It emerges in dialogue, routines, user feedback, and collective improvisation. This dynamic blend makes Studyond’s strategy process so engaging: guided by a clear vision, driven by a strong purpose around meaningful student projects, and always open to creative input.
Thank You, Studyond
A heartfelt thank-you to the entire Studyond team for your openness, hospitality, and insightful conversations. We learned so much – from inspiring career tips with Philipp to impromptu Instagram reel shoots where we became part of Studyond’s public face.
Special thanks to Philipp as well for supporting us during our final seminar presentation at HSG – the proud smiles in our post-presentation photo say it all.
A Note to Fellow Students
Take the chance to participate in a practice project! It will expand your personal and professional network and offer real, lasting learning experiences that no lecture hall alone can provide – especially if you’re genuinely curious about the company’s product or mission. And don’t forget: companies benefit from your fresh perspective too. A true win-win!
