Publications

20 Mar 2000
Research & Ideas

Incubators: The New Venture Capitalists?

get a startup successfully off the ground in the electronic economy. Venture Capital as a Commodity "We definitely see a major shift occurring in the venture capital community," said Corey, who co-founded the Web consulting firm... View Details

Keywords: by Kenneth Liss

09 Jun 2024
Blog Post

The EC Formula: MBA Class of 2024 Looks Back

impact spaces. I was very active with the Health Care Club, Rising Leaders in Social Impact Forum, and various health care startup activities. You’ll find that many people are willing to connect you with someone they know in your space;... View Details

Portrait Project

Shardule Shah

in. The lines between parenting and working are increasingly blurred, but I am here for all of it. It took me a while to realize that having kids adds value even in business. I had thought that the guiding light for my biotech startup... View Details

01 Apr 2022
News

HBS New Venture Competition Turns 25: Celebrating A Quarter Century of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

March 2015
Case

BOLT: Seed Venture Capital Firm

By: William A. Sahlman and Robert F. White

BOLT is a different kind of seed venture capital firm built to serve the needs of early-stage startups at the intersection of hardware and software.

In the past decade, the cost of entrepreneurial experimentation has dropped dramatically, particularly in web... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurial Finance; Accelerator; Entrepreneurship; Finance; Venture Capital; Applications and Software; Information Infrastructure; Strategy

Profile

Enrico Ferrari

own." Enrico is planning on testing the venture capital waters during his summer break. "I've been on the operational and execution side, now I want to see the investors' side for a complete picture before I launch my next venture," he says. To add... View Details

Keywords: Tech

28 Apr 2022
Blog Post

Harvard Team Wins Second Place in MIINT Impact Investing Competition

Harvard MIINT faculty mentor. The five teams of Harvard students pitched investment opportunities across various sectors and geographies, from an anti-bully EdTech startup in Latin America to a cultivated meat company focused on... View Details

Web

Rare Disease Day – Small Numbers, Big Challenges… and Big Opportunities - Blog: Health Supplement

new technologies are at the forefront of the healthcare industry, the rare disease population cannot yet again be overlooked. About the author: Gabby Choi (MBA 2017) is a seasoned startup tech operator, focusing on go-to-market and... View Details

March 2023
Case

Mirakl: Growing The Marketplace Economy

By: Antonio Moreno, Santiago Gallino and Emilie Billaud

Mirakl provided the technology and seller network required for companies like Macy's, Best Buy, Walmart, Siemens, or Carrefour to simply design, launch, and administer a marketplace that included products from third-party sellers. What began as a basic business idea in... View Details

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Business Startups; Transformation; Technological Innovation; Growth and Development Strategy; Internet and the Web; Technology Adoption; Sales; Information Technology Industry; Retail Industry; Web Services Industry; Europe; France; Paris; United States

16 Aug 2022
Op-Ed

Now Is the Time for Entrepreneurs to Play Offense

price and had a dozen offers in front of them. Today, layoffs—particularly at growth stage companies—have led to a massive pullback in startup hiring. Thus, some of the most talented people in our ecosystem are suddenly up for grabs... View Details

Keywords: by Jeffrey Bussgang

January 2021 (Revised March 2021)
Case

Jumia's Path to Profitability

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Pippa Tubman Armerding and Gamze Yucaoglu

The case opens in September 2019 as Sacha Poignonnec and Jeremy Hodara, co-founders and co-CEOs of Jumia, the leading Pan-African e-commerce platform, are contemplating the company’s path to profitability in the aftermath of a fragile investor sentiment, as the company... 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

November 1991 (Revised October 1995)
Case

Calyx & Corolla

By: Walter J. Salmon and David Wylie

Describes a new entry into the $8 billion flower industry in the United States. Combining the use of overnight air freight (Federal Express), information technology, an 800 number, and a catalog, Calyx & Corolla was changing the way flowers had traditionally been... View Details

Keywords: Market Entry and Exit; Transformation; Distribution Channels; Business Startups; Problems and Challenges; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; United States

08 Feb 2017
Blog Post

How I Chose My HBS Recommenders

graduating, I worked briefly for a Cambridge-based education startup named NuVu, before switching into management consulting and joining McKinsey. I spent time at McKinsey’s Dubai and New York offices, where I worked in a variety of... View Details

Web

Hands-on Learning About Global Markets - MBA

Blog Blog MBA Voices Filter Results Arrow Down Arrow Up Read posts from Author Alumni Author Career and Professional Development Staff Author HBS Community Author HBS Faculty Author MBA Admissions Author MBA Students Topics Topics 1st Year (RC) 2+2 Program 2nd Year... View Details

December 2008 (Revised February 2011)
Case

Evan Williams: From Blogger to Odeo (A)

By: Noam T. Wasserman and Louis-Philippe Maurice

For several months, founder-CEO Evan Williams has felt trapped, unable to control Odeo and its strategic direction. He longs for the "simple" days of Blogger, the previous venture he had co-founded. Although his Blogger experiences had included a major blow-up with his... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Startups; Decision Choices and Conditions; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Information Technology Industry

Web

Student Spotlight: 2023 HCC Co-Presidents Reflect on Their Time at HBS and the Current Health Care Systems - Blog: Health Supplement

mentorship outside of the classroom by mentoring students on IPs and startup projects. What are your summer plans and where you are headed? I am pursuing my startup, Willow Health, full-time this summer and am fortunate to begin the... View Details

November 1991 (Revised July 1995)
Case

Body Shop International

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

Describes the start-up and rapid growth of a company whose founder holds strong, non-traditional beliefs about the role of the corporation and its responsibility to society. After profiling Anita Roddick as a person, the case describes the anti-mainstream approach she... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Business Growth and Maturation; Leadership Style; Management Succession; Management Teams; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Values and Beliefs; Global Strategy; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry