Publications

October 2018 (Revised October 2019)
Case

Arlan Hamilton and Backstage Capital

By: Laura Huang and Sarah Mehta

Frustrated by an inability to convince existing venture capital firms to invest in companies led by women, people of color, and LGBT founders, Arlan Hamilton started her own firm, Backstage Capital, in 2015. Hamilton understood the untapped potential of companies run... View Details

Keywords: Black Leadership; LGBTQ; Women; People Of Color; Entrepreneurship; Mission and Purpose; Venture Capital; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Identity; Personal Characteristics; Prejudice and Bias; Social Issues; Diversity; Gender; Race

January 2015
Case

The Blonde Salad

By: Anat Keinan, Kristina Maslauskaite, Sandrine Crener and Vincent Dessain

In 2014, Chiara Ferragni, a globe-trotting founder of the world's most popular fashion blog The Blonde Salad, and Riccardo Pozzoli, her co-founder and business partner, had to decide how to best monetize her blog as well as her shoe line called the "Chiara Ferragni... View Details

August 2020 (Revised July 2021)
Case

From Farm Boy to Financier: Eiichi Shibusawa and the Creation of Modern Japan

By: Geoffrey Jones, Gabriel Ellsworth and Ryo Takahashi

This case describes the career of Eiichi Shibusawa (1840-1931), a serial entrepreneur who is widely known as the “father of Japanese capitalism” and as a pioneer of socially responsible investment. Born in feudal Edo Japan, following the Meiji Restoration in 1868... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Personal Development and Career; Business History; Ethics; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Economy; Society; Japan

30 Nov 2020
Research & Ideas

COVID Not Slowing VC Investment

the end of the year. Venture funding in a socially distanced world Discouraged entrepreneurs shouldn’t put away their pitch decks yet. For one thing, funding commitments are still outpacing those of past... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Financial Services; Banking

12 Apr 2011
First Look

First Look: April 12

Abstract This book presents new research on the historical impact of globalization on Argentina and Chile. The authors focus on the role of entrepreneurs and firms. The Role of Venture Capitalists in the Acquisition of Private Companies... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

April 2010
Supplement

Howard Roizen

By: Kathleen L. McGinn and Nicole Tempest

Howard Roizen, a venture capitalist at SOFTBANK Venture Capital and a former entrepreneur, maintains an extensive personal and professional network. He leverages this network to benefit both himself and others. The case considers the steps he's taken to build and... View Details

Keywords: Networks; Prejudice and Bias; Venture Capital; Fairness; Entrepreneurship; Gender

05 Feb 2007
Research & Ideas

Business and the Global Poor

so, then nobody will begrudge their due share of profits. Even when companies do carefully consider the economic and social impacts of their products on the poor, they may still face reputational threats if their BOP View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

January 2007 (Revised December 2008)
Case

The Challenges of Launching a Start-Up in China: Dorm99.com

By: William C. Kirby, F. Warren McFarlan and Tracy Manty

After graduating from Harvard Business School in June 2006, Ken Pao and Bill Li were ready to fully commit to the Internet start-up they had been working on since they first stepped foot on the business school campus. They moved to Beijing, rounded out their management... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Joint Ventures; Entrepreneurship; Product Launch; Business and Government Relations; Internet; China

October 1995
Case

Otis Elevator Company (B): China Strategy

By: Michael Y. Yoshino and Thomas W. Malnight

Examines the conflict Otis faces with its joint venture partner as it seeks to expand into Southern China. View Details

Keywords: Management; Conflict and Resolution; Joint Ventures; Expansion; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Strategy; Globalization; Construction Industry; Manufacturing Industry; China

April 2016
Teaching Note

Advanced Leadership Pathways: Junko Yoda and Her Collaboration to Address Sex Trafficking in Asia

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Ai-Ling Jamila Malone and Tessa Natanay Hamilton

Following a successful career as the first female Vice President of Goldman Sachs in Asia, Junko Yoda became a 2010 Advanced Leadership Fellow at Harvard University. During her fellowship, she set out to promote awareness, and prevent and alleviate the effects of human... View Details

Keywords: Crime; Business And Community; Community Impact; Communities; Economic Development; Innovation; Leadership; Change Management; Crime and Corruption; Social Entrepreneurship; Business and Community Relations; Gender; Asia

Research Summary

Hybrid organizing

By: Julie Battilana

While historically the commercial and social sectors have evolved on fairly separate tracks, over the last 30 years we have witnessed a blurring of the boundaries between these two sectors. In an effort to account for this transition, Professor Battilana’s second... View Details

June 2018 (Revised April 2021)
Case

Valuing Snap After the IPO Quiet Period (A)

By: Marco Di Maggio, Benjamin C. Esty and Gregory Saldutte

Snap, the disappearing message app, went public at $17 per share on March 2, 2017, making its two 20-something founders the youngest self-made billionaires in the country. Over the next three weeks, 14 analysts made investment recommendations on Snap: two with buy... View Details

November 2005 (Revised July 2009)
Case

Trolltech (Norway) - Will Cenapio Steal Christmas?

Describes the creation of an open source software venture in Norway, Australia, and the United States that lands a strategic OEM deal with a leading Japanese manufacturer of embedded devices (PDAs in this instance). Details the evolution of the two companies'... View Details

Keywords: Applications and Software; Conflict and Resolution; Strategy; Partners and Partnerships; Open Source Distribution; Information Infrastructure; Entrepreneurship; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Information Technology Industry; Australia; Japan; Norway; United States

March 1995 (Revised May 1997)
Case

Stonyfield Farm: September 1994

Samuel Kaymen and Gary Hirshberg founded Stonyfield Farm in 1983, in part to demonstrate that "environmentally and socially responsible businesses can also be profitable." In 1994, the company has grown to over $21 million in revenues, derived mainly from refrigerated... View Details

Keywords: Growth Management; Animal-Based Agribusiness; Food; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; New Hampshire; California; Russia

23 Jul 2013
First Look

First Look: July 23

Its Stripes: Imprinting of Individuals and Hybrid Social Ventures By: Lee, Matthew, and Julie Battilana Abstract—Hybrid organizations that combine multiple, existing organizational forms are frequently... View Details

Keywords: Anna Secino

March 2022
Case

Metric

By: Christina Wallace, Rebecca Cink and Maria Lappas

Megan Murday, the founder of Metric, an environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) analytics startup, must decide which customer segment to target as a beachhead market. She received positive feedback from a Swiss venture capital (VC) firm, indicating their... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Marketing; Mission and Purpose; Customers

30 Jun 2009
First Look

First Look: June 30

offered high returns over the past decade. Download the paper from SSRN ($5): http://papers.nber.org/papers/w15014 Buy Local? The Geography of Successful and Unsuccessful Venture Capital Expansion Authors:Henry Chen, Paul Gompers, Anna... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

09 Apr 2008
Research & Ideas

The Matchmaker of the Modern Economy

A legendary professor at Harvard Business School for 40 years, Georges Doriot was a pivotal player in the founding of the modern venture capital industry. As Spencer E. Ante's new book notes, venture capital... View Details

Keywords: by Spencer E. Ante

March 2001 (Revised August 2001)
Case

Virgin.com

By: Alan D. MacCormack and Kerry Herman

Describes the evolution of Virgin's dot-com organization and the decision it faced in mid-2000--whether to consolidate several separate dot-com ventures into one larger venture or, instead, to allow each to run independently. Also contains a history of Virgin's... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Design; Organizational Structure; Motivation and Incentives; Internet and the Web; Consolidation