Publications

August 2018
Technical Note

Evaluating Start Ups

By: William A. Sahlman, Ramana Nanda and Robert F. White

A framework for assessing new business opportunities and the business plans used to describe them is developed. Useful for aspiring entrepreneurs in MBA programs. View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Business Plan; Opportunities

Article

Are You Suited for a Start-up?

By: Jeffrey Bussgang

Relative to established organizations, start-ups can be hard to figure out. What are the jobs to be done? The best entry points? How can you tell whether a company has potential for success and is the right fit for you? The author advises that you first assess... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Personal Characteristics; Job Search

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November 2016
Supplement

Uber in China: Driving in the Gray Zone (B)

By: William C. Kirby, Yuanzhuo Wang, Shuang L. Frost and Adam K. Frost

Starting in 2014, for two years Uber had fought an intense, costly battle for China’s ridesharing market with well-financed and well-connected domestic Chinese competitors. During this time, Uber also had to respond to an ever-shifting regulatory landscape that looked... View Details

Keywords: China; Uber; Didi Chuxing; Start-up Growth; Regulation; Ride-sharing; Transportation; Business Startups; Growth and Development; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Transportation Industry; Technology Industry; China

January 1994 (Revised April 1995)
Case

Judo Economics

The early 1990s saw a new wave of start-ups in the U.S. airline business. One entrant, Kiwi International Air Lines, took to the skies in September 1992 with a strategy of attracting small-business travelers looking to save money but lacking the flexibility to book in... View Details

Keywords: Market Entry and Exit; Competitive Advantage; Business Startups; Air Transportation Industry; Financial Services Industry

26 Jul 2023
News

Is Your Start-Up’s Growth Sustainable?

19 May 2019
News

Zumper Co-founder Seeks an Airbnb for Tenants, Landlords

Keywords: Real Estate

19 Sep 2014
News

Peter Thiel on Why Monopolies Matter

Keywords: Paypal; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management

01 Apr 2002
News

Siebel Addresses HBS Northern California Club

In December, some 450 alumni representing HBS and other top business schools gathered for a talk by Thomas M. Siebel, chairman and CEO of Siebel Systems, Inc., which produces e-business application software. The event, sponsored by the HBS Association of Northern... View Details

Keywords: Business Schools & Computer & Management Training; Educational Services

01 Mar 2005
News

Online Job Bank Debuts

SULLIVAN: “Searches can be made by industry, function, location, salary, and several other variables.” Building on the traditional strengths and advantages of alumni networking, a newly launched online Alumni Job Bank has upgraded the informal network into a powerful... View Details

Keywords: Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services

July 2023 (Revised July 2025)
Case

Miracle Therapeutics: Negotiating an IP License (A)

By: Satish Tadikonda, Michael Singer, William Marks and Wendi Yajnik

(General Experience Case) Beth Sharp and Jennifer Brilliant founded Miracle Therapeutics based on intellectual property developed by Brilliant and her post-doctoral student, John Supreme, in Brilliant’s lab at Elite University (EU). Miracle will have to obtain a... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Patents; Negotiation Process

2022
Working Paper

When the Journey—And Not Just the Destination—Matters: How Internationalization Shapes Entrepreneurial Experimentation

By: Nataliya Langburd Wright and Laura Huang

Internationalization—gaining exposure to cross-border markets—is often the result of an entrepreneur’s experimentation and strategy around their core business. Scholars have shown how entrepreneurs develop products or services, and after achieving some traction, turn... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship And Strategy; Entrepreneurial Ventures; Entrepreneurial Journey; International Entrepreneurship; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Global Range; Strategy

September 2016 (Revised March 2020)
Teaching Note

Fasten: Challenging Uber and Lyft with a New Business Model

By: Feng Zhu

Fasten, a new ridesharing start-up in Boston, entered the scene in September 2015 hoping its unique vision of transparency for both driver and passenger and strategy to keep riders' fares low and charge drivers a flat $0.99 fee per ride, as opposed to the 20%–30%... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Transportation; Business Startups; Business Model; Transportation Industry; Boston

January 2013
Supplement

EverTrue: Mobile Technology Development (B)

By: William R. Kerr and Alexis Brownell

Brent Grinna has one customer signed up for his alumni-networking mobile app, and is now trying to choose among three possibilities for a CTO. He decided to contract with a friend's company, Dashfire, to create a prototype of the app, and has signed up Brown University... View Details

Keywords: Start-up; Mobile App; CTO; Hiring; Scaling; Business Startups; Decisions; Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development; Mobile Technology; Technology Industry; Massachusetts; Boston

September 2000 (Revised March 2001)
Background Note

Note on Corporate Venture Capital, A

By: Josh Lerner

Provides an overview of corporate venture investment. View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Business Startups; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Financial Services Industry

October 1981 (Revised June 1986)
Case

Stratus Computer

Bill Foster has assembled a team to begin a new computer company. He must now develop a financing strategy in view of the various kinds of capital available for new ventures. View Details

Keywords: Financing and Loans; Business Startups; Financial Strategy; Computer Industry