Publications

February 2022
Case

NFX Capital and Moov Technologies

By: Scott Duke Kominers and Nicole Tempest Keller

In July 2019, James Currier, a general partner at San Francisco-based NFX Ventures, was considering a seed stage investment of $1.5 million in Moov Technologies, a B2B marketplace for used industrial equipment. NFX was a venture capital firm focused on seed-stage... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Network Effects; Marketplace Matching; Digital Platforms; Market Design; Applications and Software; Semiconductor Industry; Financial Services Industry; San Francisco

Keywords: by Rene F. Kizilcec, Justin Reich, Michael Yeomans, Christoph Dann, Emma Brunskill, Glenn Lopez, Selen Turkay, Joseph J. Williams, and Dustin Tingley; Education

01 Jul 2020
Working Paper Summaries

Scaling Up Behavioral Science Interventions in Online Education

19 Feb 2015
Video

Eric Paley, venture capitalist, managing partner at the Founder Collective

September 2017 (Revised March 2018)
Case

Chai Point: Disrupting Chai

By: Shikhar Ghosh, Ramana Nanda and Rachna Tahilyani

Chai Point is India’s largest organized chai retailer. It has missed its target for retail store openings by approximately 25%, goals that are very important to its investors who are also board members. However, it has developed an exciting new internet-based tea... View Details

November 2002 (Revised March 2006)
Case

ApproTEC Kenya: Technologies to Fight Poverty and Create Wealth

By: V. Kasturi Rangan

ApproTEC markets a range of technologies to improve the income of subsistence farmers and other small-scale entrepreneurs in East Africa. Having achieved considerable success in its first eight years, the two founders/entrepreneurs are seeking ways to scale the impact... View Details

Keywords: Social Enterprise; Development Economics; Poverty; Information Technology; Entrepreneurship; Nonprofit Organizations; Growth and Development Strategy; Kenya; Africa

2025
Book

After the Idea: What It Really Takes to Create and Scale a Startup

By: Julia Austin

A lot of entrepreneurs are great at the idea part but do not anticipate the details required to actually run and scale a new venture. Drawing on my experience at renowned startups like Akamai Technologies, VMware, and DigitalOcean and the hundreds of founders and... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Business Plan; Growth and Development Strategy; Business or Company Management

10 Nov 2008
Research Event

Social Media Leads the Future of Technology

the Internet, to what extent they can capitalize on these transformations remains an open question. HBS professor David Yoffie moderated the session on "The Technology Revolution and its Implications for the Future," with... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

20 Mar 2025
Blog Post

Scaling Climate Tech Innovation with Lee Scott (MBA 2023)

Ideally, these companies can fund their projects with project finance since that has a lower cost of capital than venture dollars. However, infrastructure investors typically prefer established technologies... View Details

2010
Working Paper

Venture Capital Investment in the Clean Energy Sector

By: Shikhar Ghosh and Ramana Nanda

We examine the extent to which venture capital is adequately positioned for the rapid commercialization of clean energy technologies in the United States. While there are several startups in clean energy that are well-suited to the traditional venture capital... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Energy Generation; Venture Capital; Investment; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Technological Innovation; Competition; Green Technology Industry; Green Technology Industry; United States

Read Now

Web

Benefits | Information Technology

the HBS Live Online Classroom production team allows instructors to be completely free of technology responsibilities, so they can focus on discussions and make deep, one-to-one connections. Dynamic case teaching, the way cases were meant... View Details

August 2012 (Revised July 2025)
Module Note

Evaluating the Viability of Innovative Technology-Commercializing Ventures

By: Regina E. Herzlinger

This case enables evaluation of innovative health care technologies by those who are not an expert in the technology by introduction of a framework for evaluating technology - commercializing innovation. It is the introductory case for the first of four modules in a... View Details

Keywords: Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Health Industry

January 2013 (Revised February 2013)
Case

EverTrue: Mobile Technology Development (A)

By: William R. Kerr and Alexis Brownell

Brent Grinna is evaluating different options for the technology development of his start-up's iPhone app, including hiring local programmers, finding a CTO, or outsourcing. He only has a little over two months before he presents his alumni networking app to Brown... View Details

Keywords: Start-up; Mobile App; oDesk; Outsourcing; CTO; Minimum Viable Product; App Development; Business Startups; Decisions; Entrepreneurship; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Intellectual Property; Product Development; Globalization; Technology Industry; Massachusetts; Boston; India

August 1997 (Revised November 1998)
Case

Cambridge Technology Partners - 1991 Start Up

By: Paul A. Gompers and Catherine M. Conneely

Jim Sims tries to close the deal to create Cambridge Technology Partners (CTP) in a spin-out from a troubled technology consulting firm. The deal looks tenuous. View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Negotiation Deal; Information Technology; Organizations; Information Technology Industry; Information Technology Industry; Cambridge

Find at Harvard

August 2013 (Revised September 2013)
Course Overview Note

Entrepreneurship in Healthcare IT Services (EHITS) Fall Term 2013: Course Outline and Syllabus

By: Robert F. Higgins

This is the syllabus and course outline for "Entrepreneurship in Healthcare IT and Services (EHITS)" taught by Prof. Bob Higgins in the fall of 2013. Contains the course overview, objectives, goals and themes. View Details

Keywords: Healthcare Technology; Health Services; Healthcare Ventures; Entrepreneurship; Health Care and Treatment; Information Technology; Technology Industry; Technology Industry; United States

June 2015
Case

B Lab: Can it Scale Business as a Force for Good?

By: Christopher Marquis and Matthew Lee

To achieve its goal of redefining success in business, B Lab recognizes it needs to scale. Its strategy to do so requires B Lab to depend heavily on new partners, venture into new markets, influence new audiences, and to strike a balance between standards and... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Expansion; Social Entrepreneurship

November 2001 (Revised October 2004)
Case

IBM Network Technology (A)

By: Michael L. Tushman and Robert C Wood

An unconventional manager within IBM leads the creation of a business unit with multibillion-dollar potential, winning over customers and nudging the organization to make the changes needed to achieve dramatic growth. This case provides an example of how organizational... View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development; Growth and Development Strategy; Leadership; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Change Management; Management Practices and Processes; Business Plan; Organizational Design; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Success; Technology Industry

Web

Eligibility | New Venture Competition

(HBS) Field Course: Innovating in Health Care (HBS) Field Course: Investing for Impact (HBS) Field Course: Life Sciences Venture Creation (HBS) Field Course: Scaling Minority Businesses (HBS) Field Course:... View Details

May 2004
Teaching Note

Seagate Technology Buyout (TN)

By: Stuart C. Gilson

Teaching Note to (9-201-063). View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Negotiation Deal; Negotiation Participants; Equity; Value; Volatility; Assets; Capital; Computer Industry