The expansion of business education in East Africa is widely promoted as a catalyst for entrepreneurship and economic development. However, there is limited in-depth understanding of how pedagogical approaches within these programmes translate into actual venture creation capabilities among graduates in the region. This study aims to critically examine the pedagogical strategies employed within Ugandan business education and to analyse their perceived effectiveness in equipping students with the competencies required for successful venture creation. A qualitative, multi-case study design was employed. Data were collected via in-depth, semi-structured interviews with business educators, recent graduates, and early-stage entrepreneurs. Supplementary data from participant observations in classroom settings and analysis of programme curricula were thematically analysed. A dominant theme was a persistent pedagogical misalignment, where over two-thirds of participants described instruction as heavily theoretical and risk-averse, failing to simulate real-world entrepreneurial uncertainty. A critical concrete finding was that graduates from programmes incorporating mandatory, lived experience projects were three times more likely to launch a venture within one year of completion. Current business education pedagogies often inadequately bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and the practical, behavioural realities of entrepreneurship in the local context, potentially stifling venture creation. Curriculum designers should integrate experiential, problem-based learning modules that require students to navigate authentic resource constraints. Policymakers should incentivise partnerships between educational institutions and local enterprises to provide practical immersion. Entrepreneurship education, pedagogical alignment, venture creation, experiential learning, Uganda, qualitative case study This paper provides novel empirical evidence of a specific pedagogical mechanism—mandatory lived experience projects—that significantly increases early-stage venture creation, offering a targeted intervention for curriculum reform.