Publications

September 2003
Case

Growing Up in China: The Financing of BabyCare Ltd.

By: Mihir A. Desai and Mark Veblen

The CFO of this infant nutritional products company must choose among competing financing offers. The interplay of Chinese legal and customs restrictions and venture capitalists' bargaining techniques challenge the CFO to navigate a tricky negotiation and to devise a... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Working Capital; Emerging Markets; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; China

September 2000 (Revised November 2000)
Case

GetConnected.com

By: Rajiv Lal, Nilanjana R. Pal and Jodi L. Prins

Describes the situation faced by GCI.com in April 2000, soon after raising $12 million for their new venture. After hiring an advertising agency, management needs to decide on the nature of the advertising campaign to target the right set of customers with the right... View Details

Keywords: Advertising Campaigns; Business Startups; Business or Company Management; Marketing Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Corporate Strategy; Web Services Industry

Consumer brand building - Mission/vision/values development and adherence - Co-founder and early stage team building - DTC marketing - Go-to-market strategies - Hospitality startups - Real estate businesses... View Details

01 Jun 2024
News

Case Study: Ready for an Upgrade

Illustration by Alvaro Dominguez The Los Angeles–based startup Stell was borne of a pain point almost as old as recorded history itself: paperwork. One of Stell’s cofounders, Malory McLemore (MBA 2022), had landed a job as an engineer at... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; Computer Systems Design and Related Services; Professional Services

07 Mar 2024
Blog Post

IFC India: Green-tech Entrepreneurship in India

journey to understand the intricate tapestry of India's burgeoning green tech landscape. A pivotal moment in our learning expedition was the site visit to Log 9 Materials, a company that epitomizes the fusion of innovation and environmental stewardship. Our visit... View Details

23 Sep 2024
Blog Post

2024 Summer Internships in Business & Environment

What are the career opportunities in business and environment? In Summer 2024, over 100 MBA students found internships at the intersection of business and the environment. This post provides a sample of some of the types of companies that students worked at this summer... View Details

Profile

Rachel Silverstein

the timing never felt right." At the same time, her career was progressing. After five years with two corporate giants, Dell and American Express, she tested the startup waters. "I had an itch to do something entrepreneurial,... View Details

Keywords: Financial Services; Retail/Hospitality; CPG

19 Oct 2023
Blog Post

New Venture Competition 2023: Business and Environment Ventures

We are NET12, an MIT|HBS startup focused on accelerating a carbonless future by helping corporations reach and sustain their net zero goals efficiently. NetaCarbon - Grace Lam (MBA 2024) - NetaCarbon is a service provider that partners... View Details

01 Jun 2022
News

'Rooted' In Innovation

to make fufu, a thick paste used in various recipes—was originally produced for the African market and is now available at 50 supermarkets around the world. STUDENTS READY TO MAKE AN IMPACT READ MORE STORIES STUDENTS READY TO MAKE AN... View Details

Keywords: Deborah Blagg

September 2019
Teaching Note

Boxed

By: Laura Huang and Andy Wu

Boxed.com (“Boxed”) is an ambitious e-commerce retailer start-up, founded by visionary CEO Chieh Huang in 2013. From starting in Huang’s garage in 2013, to winning Emerging E-Retailer of the Year in 2016, to having 4 operational distribution centers in 2018, Boxed used... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurial Management; Business Startups; Leadership; Strategy; Success; E-commerce; Retail Industry

November 2003 (Revised March 2004)
Case

Federal Express: Early History

Describes key events in the start-up of Federal Express. Outlines the company's value proposition and provides an overview of key competitors in the air freight industry. This case is used with Teledesic (Abridged), HBS No. 9-804-096, which describes a failed project... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Network Effects; Business Startups; Transportation Industry; United States