startups - Publications - Faculty & Research

20 Nov 2020
News

What Kind of Startup Founder Are You?

February 2017
Article

The Throne vs. the Kingdom: Founder Control and Value Creation in Startups

By: Noam Wasserman

Does the degree to which founders keep control of their startups affect company value? I argue that founders face a "control dilemma" in which a startup's resource dependence drives a wedge between the startup's value and the founder's ability to retain control of... View Details

Keywords: Founders; Entrepreneurial Management; Value Creation; Governing and Advisory Boards; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups

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February 2024 (Revised January 2025)
Case

AGENTS.inc: Pathways to Growth at an AI Startup

By: Frank Nagle, Manuel Hoffmann, Karoline Ströhlein and Susan Pinckney

The case describes the history of AGENTS.inc. Despite being a small startup, with only four employees, that had never had a funding round, the company boasted an impressive client portfolio including multiple Fortune 500 companies. While AGENTS.inc had been an early... View Details

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07 Mar 2016
News

The Limits of the Lean Startup Method

October 2002 (Revised December 2003)
Case

Collabrys, Inc. (A)-The Evolution of a Startup

By: Dorothy A. Leonard and Brian DeLacey

The CEO of a two-year-old start-up must now decide whether to become a technology provider or a service agency. In a time of enormous uncertainty about the viability of various business models for Internet-delivered services and products, Collabrys has survived the... View Details

Keywords: Risk and Uncertainty; Internet and the Web; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Corporate Strategy; Technological Innovation; Cost vs Benefits; Partners and Partnerships; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Startups; Corporate Finance; United States

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March 2018
Supplement

Hatch Startup Equity Valuation Exercise (Student Version)

By: Christopher Stanton and Shikhar Ghosh

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04 May 2022
Podcast

How Footwear Startup Allbirds is Decarbonizing Fashion

In this bonus episode, sustainable footwear brand Allbirds co-founder and co-CEO Joey Zwillinger, Prof. Michael Toffel, and Cold Call host Brian Kenny discuss the growing environmental impact of the fashion industry, and how Allbirds is balancing a critical tension... View Details

25 Jan 2022
News

How Footwear Startup Allbirds Is Decarbonizing Fashion

01 Dec 2017
News

A Safer—and Speedier—Way to Name Your Startup

image by Edmon de Haro So you have an idea for a new business, product, or service. What are you going to call it? As any cash-strapped entrepreneur, product manager, or “creative” will tell you, that decision can be critical when it comes to avoiding expensive legal... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna

Research Summary

Entrepreneurial Failure

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann

Most startups fail. Why? Are there recurring patterns that can be anticipated and avoided? If entrepreneurs fail, how can they do so in ways that leave their reputations, relationships, and integrity intact? And, how can they learn from the experience, heal, and... View Details

Keywords: Startups; Entrepreneurship; Failure

20 Jul 2020
Interview

Agility in the Startup and Venture Ecosystem

By: Euvin Naidoo

Citation

April 2015 (Revised March 2017)
Case

Instacart and the New Wave of Grocery Startups

By: John Deighton and Leora Kornfeld

Instacart is testing an Uber-style solution to the challenge of building a home-delivered grocery business. It is backed by $220 million of venture funding. Will this model succeed where businessses like Webvan failed? What are the questions that this exploratory... View Details

Keywords: Food Retailing; Outsourced Grocery Delivery; Online Ordering; Dynamic Pricing; Data Analytics; Marketing Strategy; Food; Distribution Channels; Business Startups; Food and Beverage Industry; California

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04 Mar 2016
News

Startups Can’t Revolve Around Their Founders If They Want to Succeed

18 Nov 2020
News

Founders, Apply the Scientific Method to Your Startup

31 Mar 2022
Blog Post

Setting Interns Up for Success at Your Startup

Connection Fortunately, Belsito knew exactly the right person to consider for the role. Weeks earlier, Kevin Sani (MBA 2022) reached out to Belsito while researching mission-based startups making an impact on climate change. “After... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship