Startup Management - Publications - Faculty & Research

Career Coach

Madhav Datt

Madhav is a startup founder and tech product manager. He worked as Product Manager at Google where he launched and scaled B2B AI product from 0 -> $645M incremental ARR. Prior to that he was a Quant... View Details

30 Jan 2024
Research & Ideas

‘Intrinsic Joy’ Sparks Ideas Better than Cash

People use crowdsourcing to solve problems, raise money, and share AI breakthroughs, the authors write. Open source software—such as the popular content management system WordPress or the operating system Linux—gives users free access to... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Technology

28 May 2024
In Practice

Job Search Advice for a Tough Market: Think Broadly and Stay Flexible

‘yes’ The venture capital and startup job market is particularly slow this year. I am reaching into my network more than in prior years to put students in touch with people in the industry. Down rounds and layoffs in tech have been in the... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

Career Coach

Juan Pablo Botero

If you are looking to launch or join a startup, Juan Pablo can help! With experience working in management consulting at BCG, at a fast-growing startup like Rappi, and walking the founder road at HBS and... View Details

September 2022
Background Note

On CUE: The Quest for Optimal Customer Unit Economics

By: Elie Ofek, Barak Libai and Eitan Muller

Startups are often evaluated by how well they perform on unit economics, defined as the ratio of a customer’s lifetime value (LTV) to acquisition costs (CAC). A common target for unit economics, advocated by many VCs and analysts, is 3:1 (i.e., LTV/CAC=3). While there... View Details

Keywords: Unit Economics; Business Startups; Performance Evaluation; Customer Value and Value Chain; Customer Relationship Management; Analysis

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June 2001
Case

Infinata: The Quest for Human Resource Venture Capital

By: Jay O. Light and Anthony Massaro

A potential start-up in the Web-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is considering a deal with a software developer. View Details

Keywords: Negotiation; Negotiation Deal; Customer Relationship Management; Internet and the Web; Business Startups; Information Technology Industry

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Named Fellowship Funds - Alumni

the ground up. With a driving vision of "IT for the masses," Ajai has been on several government committees working toward bringing PCs and broadband into every village in India. Kunal manages his family's investment company in Singapore.... View Details

April 2023
Case

Drive Capital: A New Road for Venture

By: Paul A. Gompers and Alicia Dadlani

Founded by two former Sequoia Capital partners, Columbus-Ohio-based Drive Capital’s mission was to build a world-class venture capital firm in the middle of the U.S., an area historically overlooked by VCs. Drive faced early challenges of attracting investors, sourcing... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Investment; Business Strategy; Financial Services Industry; Biotechnology Industry; United States; Ohio

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Podcast - Business & Environment

Professor Mike Toffel, Faculty Chair, Business & Environment Initiative (LinkedIn) Guest: Bill Weir, Chief Climate Correspondent, CNN Drawdown Fund: Scaling the Impact of Climate Technology 14 AUG 2024 | Climate Rising Erik Snyder, Founder and CEO of Drawdown Fund... View Details

05 Sep 2023
Book

Thriving After Failing: How to Turn Your Setbacks Into Triumphs

economy, managers need to send the message that they support employees even when they make mistakes, she says. “Each and every one of us is a fallible human being. That’s not a choice or a judgment, that’s just a fact,” Edmondson says.... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

Career Coach

Nate Le

Nate wanted to help students leverage their network and expertise to find the right roles that align with them in tech. He had prior work experience in Corporate Finance, Fintech and Web3 in both mature companies in the US and early-stage View Details

27 Feb 2018
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, February 27, 2018

entrepreneurial finance. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=54066 forthcoming Academy of Management Journal We Ask Men to Win & Women Not to Lose: Closing the Gender Gap in View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

20 Jan 2015
First Look

First Look: January 20

link: http://dx.doi.org.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/10.1016/j.jebo.2014.10.004 January 2015 Economic Journal Does Management Matter in Schools? By: Bloom, Nicholas, Renata Lemos, Raffaella Sadun, and John Van Reenen Abstract—We collect data... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Program

Strategy for Health Care Delivery—Virtual

strategic and organizational challenges inherent in evolving your health care delivery approach. Details Align your organization around a value-based strategy Build a firm foundation for exploring and implementing strategy transformation View Details

Keywords: Health Care; Health Care

January 2018
Supplement

Jumia Nigeria PowerPoint Supplement

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell

Founded in 2012, Jumia Nigeria, a startup effort by Germany-based Rocket Internet, aimed to become an African Amazon. The company entered the nascent market and immediately enjoyed an uptick in consumer spending fueled by the strength of Nigeria’s oil-based economy. By... View Details

Keywords: Retail; Marketplace; Inventory; Nigeria; Africa; Ecommerce; Funding; Business Ecosystems; Business Ecosystem; Competition; Business Model; Globalization; Emerging Markets; Expansion; Logistics; E-commerce; Retail Industry; India; Nigeria; Africa

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January 2018 (Revised March 2019)
Teaching Note

Jumia Nigeria: from Retail to Marketplace (A) and (B)

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Karen Elterman

Founded in 2012, Jumia Nigeria, a startup effort by Germany-based Rocket Internet, aimed to become an African Amazon. The company entered the nascent market and immediately enjoyed an uptick in consumer spending fueled by the strength of Nigeria’s oil-based economy. By... View Details

Keywords: Retail; Marketplace; Inventory; Ecommerce; Funding; Business Ecosystems; Competition; Business Model; Globalization; Emerging Markets; Expansion; Logistics; E-commerce; Retail Industry; India; Nigeria; Africa

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Blavatnik Fellowship in Life Science Entrepreneurship - Health Care

Team in a Startup Culture.” Industry Access Fellows build a network of connections across the life science industry in various ways. They are matched with Key Advisory Board members who serve as their mentors throughout the program and... View Details

Career Coach

Celia Chen

Having worked at McKinsey for 5 years in fintech and consumer/retail industries and Amazon as a senior product manager responsible for launching a new service, Celia is happy to speak to students interested in any of the fields. She can... View Details

November 2019
Case

DeepMap: Charting the Road Ahead for Autonomous Vehicles

By: Shane Greenstein and Nicole Tempest Keller

Founded in 2016, DeepMap developed high definition (HD) mapping software and localization services for Level 4+ autonomous vehicles. Traditional navigational maps were accurate to a few meters, which was sufficient for drivers but not for machine-driven vehicles that... View Details

Keywords: Mapping Software; Autonomous Vehicles; Business Startups; Applications and Software; Technological Innovation; Technology Adoption; Service Delivery; Global Range; Resource Allocation; Strategic Planning; Technology Industry; Auto Industry

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August 1990 (Revised March 1991)
Case

Eli Lilly and Co. (C): Japan

By: Michael Y. Yoshino

Describes the process of establishing an independent operation in Japan in the mid-1980s as a result of a decision to make a major investment in the market. Describes the challenges in setting up such an operation and focuses on the role of the country manager in... View Details