Publications

26 Jul 2016
First Look

July 26, 2016

https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/product/216076-PDF-ENG Harvard Business School Case 516-094 Airbnb, Etsy, Uber: Acquiring the First Thousand Customers By 2016, two-sided online platforms (or marketplaces) were pervasive among the highest growing internet View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

16 Jul 2021
Op-Ed

For Entrepreneurs, the Benefits of Slowing Down

A few months ago, I wrote about the ridiculous increase in velocity that we are seeing in the venture capital market in my post, Velocity and Venture Capital: 11. Now that summer is upon us, I want to reflect on the subtle value of... View Details

Keywords: by Jeffrey Bussgang

01 Mar 2018
News

Can a Digital Platform Open Up the Opaque Metals Industry?

startup is initially focusing on the freely tradable global market for copper, zinc, lead, gold, and silver concentrates—estimated to be around $50 billion—which excludes companies that process their own... View Details

Keywords: Nicole Torres

29 Jun 2017
Research & Ideas

Why Uber Is Worth Saving and How To Do It

the app and the company’s rising market valuation as proof that its business methods were justified. “Many people argued that this startup sharp elbow style—in which the thing that the company was doing was... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Transportation

26 Jul 2016
News

HourlyNerd Rebrands as an Enterprise Talent Platform

Catalant is now a platform-based solution that “allows global organizations to centralize the process of sourcing independent talent by giving business leaders direct and immediate access to Catalant’s network of more than 27,000 experts.” “We are rapidly defining a... View Details

17 Oct 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, October 17, 2017

economy, while freshly minted MBAs see magic in founding something new. Yes, startups look magical, but they can also be chaotic and inaccessible. Many books are written for those who aspire to be founders, but a company only has one or... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

August 1998 (Revised October 1998)
Case

Lark International Entertainment Ltd. (A)

By: Linda A. Hill and Jennifer Suesse

Two HBS MBA's leave McKinsey and Morgan Stanley to become entrepreneurs in Hong Kong. Together they start up a cinema chain throughout Asia. This case describes the experiences of managing a team in their Wuhan, China cinema. Looks at the challenges of managing growth... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Problems and Challenges; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Startups; Emerging Markets; Leadership Style; Leadership; Groups and Teams; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Hong Kong; China; Asia

July 2008 (Revised January 2010)
Case

Affinity Labs, Inc.

By: Joseph B. Lassiter III and Elizabeth Kind

In November 2006, Chris Michel left Military.com, which he founded in 1999, to start Affinity Labs, a global network of online communities. That month, Michel raised a Series A round of venture funding and established a partnership with Monster, which he had sold... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Demand and Consumers; Partners and Partnerships; Social and Collaborative Networks; Online Technology

Web

Syngenta Tomato Vision - Blog - Business & Environment

Rising Climate Stories Clubs Courses & Curriculum Creating Emerging Markets Entrepreneurship Event Faculty Faculty Research IFC Decarbonization & Sustainable Production 2023 IFC Decarbonization & Sustainable Production 2024 IFC India 2024... View Details

01 Mar 2011
News

Swap ’Em If You Got ’Em

Hall (right): An online market for military personnel. Blake Hall (MBA ’10) grew up in a military family, became an Army Ranger, and was a platoon leader in Iraq for fifteen months. A conversation with a fellow veteran about the... View Details

Keywords: online retail; online shopping; online marketplace; National Security and International Affairs; Government; News, Library, Internet, and Other Services; Information

01 Aug 2013
News

A Cure for Cold Storage

started two years ago in the HBS class Commercializing Science—a course open to students from across the University—which pairs scientific research teams with students looking to help them pursue a market for their discoveries. One of the... View Details

Keywords: Morrell, Daniel; vaccines; Ambulatory Health Care Services; Health, Social Assistance

February 1978
Case

Sierra Log Homes, Inc. (A)

By: Michael E. Porter

Describes the history and evolution of the log home manufacturing industry, a rapidly growing embryonic industry capitalizing on the back-to-basics lifestyle changes in the United States. Focuses on one of the leading firms in the industry, but allows a discussion of... View Details

Keywords: Business or Company Management; Change Management; Industry Structures; Supply and Industry; Problems and Challenges; Business Startups; Business Strategy; Manufacturing Industry; United States

November 2000
Case

beenz.com: Building "The Web's Currency" Into a Global Business

Beenz.com, an incentive-based Web currency and customer management tool, is reassessing its business in August 2000, one year after launch. The original vision was to make the currency globally available and recognized. However, the company's rapid internationalization... View Details

Keywords: Globalized Firms and Management; Growth Management; Internet and the Web; Marketing; Business Startups

February 2000 (Revised May 2001)
Case

eBricks.com

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann

eBricks.com is developing an online marketplace for construction materials. The start-up company faces two decisions: 1) whether to merge with BluelineOnline.com, a firm providing project management solutions for the construction industry; and 2) whether to develop an... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Marketplace Matching; Decision Choices and Conditions; Business Startups; Construction Industry