Publications

October 2008 (Revised October 2009)
Case

Blink: The European Air-Taxi Service

By: William A. Sahlman and Jackie Donnelly Russell

This case describes a new venture that is about to launch a Pan-European air-taxi service in 2008. View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Capital; Financing and Loans; Product Launch; Air Transportation Industry; Europe

November 2003 (Revised March 2004)
Case

Marv Tseu at Active Reasoning

By: William A. Sahlman and Christina Darwall

Describes a set of decisions confronting the management team of an early-stage software company. The company has made considerable progress in developing its software but will need additional capital to move forward. Unfortunately, conditions in the capital market are... View Details

Keywords: Applications and Software; Financing and Loans; Capital; Business Startups; Information Technology Industry

May 2003
Teaching Note

Performance Indicator (TN)

By: Kenneth S. Corts and Jan W. Rivkin

Teaching Note for (9-702-480). View Details

Keywords: Rights; Patents; Information Technology; Market Design; Sales; Business Startups

June 2001 (Revised July 2001)
Case

SKOLAR: Launching a University Technology Spinoff Company

SKOLAR is the first company formally spun out of Stanford University. The company is searching for the right business model to commercialize its Internet-based medical information offering. View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Commercialization; Higher Education; Information Technology; Business Startups; Information Technology Industry; Education Industry; California

Find at Harvard

March 1999 (Revised February 2000)
Case

Ken Hakuta: AllHerb.com

By: Teresa M. Amabile and Nicole Tempest

Ken Hakuta had been an entrepreneur all his life. Having started a number of consumer-oriented ventures, he became well-known as "Dr. Fad," the initiator of the "Wacky Wallwalker" toy craze in the 1980s. Wishing to strike out in an exciting new direction in 1998, he... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Health; Information Publishing; Leadership Style; Problems and Challenges; Web Sites

Find at Harvard

09 Sep 2022
News

How Founders Self-Destruct Under Pressure

17 Feb 2021
News

Investing in Deep Tech for an Abundant Future

01 Jun 2017
News

The End of the Noncompete Clause

image by Edmon de Haro image by Edmon de Haro Tech recruiters often tout enviable perks as they lure new employees, promising free meals, yoga classes, and unlimited vacation days. But those benefits can come at a cost: Sign on the dotted line, and employees may find... View Details

Keywords: Janelle Nanos

01 Jun 2014
News

A Look at Olook

André Beisert's olook targets a very particular part of Brazil's new consumer market. "Our brand has a persona," Beisert (MBA 2009) says in his white brick office, which sits atop a small warehouse in the Vila Nova Conceição neighborhood in south São Paulo. "Her name... View Details

Keywords: Dan Morrell; fashion; Clothing and Clothing Accessories Stores; Retail Trade

01 Sep 2004
News

Stiletto Science

MIT grad Brian Hughes (MBA ’79) is bringing technology to bear on what may result in a giant step forward for womankind. Imagine, gushed the Austin, Texas, American-Statesman (July 8, 2004), a high-heeled shoe “so cozy you can wear it all day, dance all night, and go... View Details

Keywords: high-heeled shoes; Clothing and Clothing Accessories Stores; Retail Trade

15 May 2023
News

From Scientist to Business Leader

Brianna Kim (MS/MBA 2023) When she was little, Brianna Kim (MS/MBA 2023) fell in love with the hard sciences and expected to eventually go to medical school or earn a PhD. But her plans changed after college. Kim grew up outside Washington, DC, as the hearing daughter... View Details

Profile

Jennifer Hurford

worldview through conversation." After completing her joint degree, Jennifer will join a startup that, like IDEO, "focuses on human-centered design thinking and innovative technology to solve big problems." Her larger... View Details

Keywords: Financial Services

01 Dec 2014
News

Customizing Couture Online

now ubiquitous invitation-only Internet flash sale. Up next for Wilkis Wilson: at-home beauty service startup Glamsquad. That’s what Tinker Tailor offers. “I heard from all these women who really wanted to buy beautiful high-end... View Details

Keywords: April White; fashion; Professional Services

05 Aug 2016
News

Accelerating Change on Medicine’s Final Frontier

Photography by Susan Young “If you’re a brain geek, this is the best time in history to be alive,” says Jordan Amadio (MD/MBA 2010), founder and managing partner of NeuroLaunch, the world’s first neuroscience startup accelerator. “We’re... View Details

Keywords: Robert S. Benchley

Profile

Paris Wallace

monitors and tracks their monthly cycle and suggests the optimum time for baby-making. Its pregnancy app guides women to healthier pregnancies. In its two years of existence, this Boston-based health technology startup has helped more... View Details

June 1988 (Revised August 1988)
Case

Alpha and Omega

Students will read the case and prepare an action plan for class. In class the students will discuss their action plan for the formation of a new company. View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Planning