Pivot - Publications - Faculty & Research

January 2015 (Revised April 2015)
Case

Zeal: Launching Personalized and Social Learning

By: John J-H Kim and Christine S. An

Set in 2014, this case follows John Danner and his team at Zeal as they consider their product development strategy. In February 2013, serial entrepreneurs John Danner and Sanjay Noronha co-found Zeal, an education technology start up providing a web-based, mobile... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Education Technology; MVP; Product Development; Product Market Fit; Monetization Strategy; SaaS Business Models; Education; Personalized Learning

Citation

Educators

Purchase

16 Nov 2021
HBS Case

How a Company Made Employees So Miserable, They Killed Themselves

damage, while other times it requires pivoting along the way. “As a manager in a really challenging situation, the impulse is to just do the thing in front of you; it isn’t to stop, reflect, and think about how you might do things... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

01 Sep 2023
News

Money Does Grow on (Family) Trees

regulated as a medical device, the company turned more of its focus to the family-history consumer. (In 2017, 23andMe received its first authorization from the FDA and pivoted back to emphasizing the health aspects.) In both areas, says... View Details

Keywords: April White; Illustrations by Fabio Consoli; News, Library, Internet, and Other Services; Information

08 Mar 2021
In Practice

COVID Killed the Traditional Workplace. What Should Companies Do Now?

A year ago, COVID-19 forced many companies to send employees home—often with a laptop and a prayer. Now, with COVID cases subsiding and vaccinations rising, the prospect of returning to old office routines appears more possible. But will employees want to flock back to... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

01 Dec 2023
News

Wide Horizon

There were three critical events that led John Rodakis (MBA 1997) to form the nonprofit N of One in 2014 and ultimately dedicate his life to surfacing breakthrough autism research. The first occurred on Thanksgiving of 2012. He had driven about four hours with his wife... View Details

Keywords: Dan Morrell; Photos by Sarah Wilson

Web

Technology & Innovation - Faculty & Research

Capital Financing of Climate-tech Startups." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 25-025, November 2024. Nvidia By: Andy Wu and Matt Higgins October 2024 | Case | Faculty Research This case study examines Nvidia's strategic pivot... View Details

01 Nov 2020
Research & Ideas

Good Leadership Is an Act of Kindness

Decision-Making in Your Organization What the Stockdale Paradox Tells Us About Crisis Leadership The COVID Two-Step for Leaders: Protect and Pivot Keep Your Weary Workers Engaged and Motivated According to a recent Gallup survey, less... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Susan Seligson

Web

Entrepreneurship - Faculty & Research

company with the goal of reducing food losses and improving farmer incomes. WayCool started with B2C retail, selling fruits and vegetables from food trucks, later expanding to grocery stores under the Sunnybee brand. It then pivoted to a... View Details

Profile

Joy Chen

impact within a startup, Udemy. For her, the motivation for an MBA was neither to pivot her career nor expand her skills per se, but to find inspiration. “I wanted to build new friendships with those who could inspire each other... View Details

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Mid-US - Global

Archie L. Jones and Ai-Ling Jamila Malone This case study chronicles the transformative entrepreneurial path of Demond Martin, co-founder and CEO of WellWithAll, a health and wellness startup. Motivated by a pivotal life experience and... View Details

Web

Business & Environment - Faculty & Research

prosperity. Recent Publications Educating Students and Professionals on the Business Implications of Climate Change By: Michael W. Toffel 2025 | Article | EFMD Global Focus As climate change poses unprecedented challenges and opportunities, the private sector must play... View Details

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About the Project - Creating Emerging Markets

Tarun Khanna. These interviews address pivotal moments of transition in their regions. They contain compelling insights on entrepreneurship, innovation, family business, and the globalization of firms and brands. Emphasizing ways that... View Details

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Profiles - MBA

microadjustments in prescription -- this experience was pivotal in nurturing my interest in technology/business, especially in the health sector. I am currently working on a platform, ling.ai, to detect developmental language disorders... View Details

Research Summary

Overview

Dr. Burch’s research focuses on capitalism, work, and gender in the twentieth-century United States. Her work reinterprets the history of direct selling by placing it at the center, rather than on the margins, of narratives about advanced capitalism. Examining the... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Political Economy; Labor History; Gender; Marketing; Sales Force Management; Direct Sales; United States

Web

Faculty & Research - Leadership

co-founder and CEO of WellWithAll, a health and wellness startup. Motivated by a pivotal life experience and deep concern for racial health inequities, Martin transitions from a... Load More Initiative Leadership Linda A. Hill... View Details

07 Nov 2023
Blog Post

Get to Know the HBS Armed Forces Alumni Association

preparing initially for the application and subsequently for the interview. Looking back on that experience, I wanted to serve in the AFAA as a resource for military members looking to make a pivot into the business world. Furthermore, I... View Details

13 Jul 2023
News

The Network Effect

between the two companies. In March 2021, Model was a part of the Agios team that finalized the sale of the biotech’s oncology portfolio to international pharmaceutical company Servier. For Agios, the sale was part of a pivot from cancer... View Details

02 Nov 2023
News

Seeding Startups

Shirish Nadkarni (MBA 1987) was the director of product planning for Microsoft’s MSN when he decided he was ready to become an entrepreneur. He had recently led the growing internet portal’s 1997 acquisition of Hotmail, the first free, web-based email solution, and the... View Details

Keywords: April White

16 Jul 2020
Research & Ideas

Restaurant Revolution: How the Industry Is Fighting to Stay Alive

to 24 weeks and reduced the requirement for use for payroll from 75 percent to 60 percent, among other provisions. Whether these changes to the PPP will encourage more restaurateurs in need to accept the loans remains unclear. Pivoting to... View Details

Keywords: by Michael S. Kaufman, Lena G. Goldberg, and Jill Avery; Food & Beverage

Web

Health Care - Faculty & Research

chronicles the transformative entrepreneurial path of Demond Martin, co-founder and CEO of WellWithAll, a health and wellness startup. Motivated by a pivotal life experience and deep concern for racial health inequities, Martin... View Details

Publications