Publications

August 2015 (Revised December 2016)
Case

Apple Pay

By: Sunil Gupta, Shelle Santana and Margaret L. Rodriguez

On September 9, 2014, in front of a packed audience in Cupertino, CA, Tim Cook, the chief executive officer of Apple, announced the much anticipated launch of Apple Pay. "Our vision is to replace this [wallet] and we are going to start with payments." Cook then invited... View Details

July 2004 (Revised December 2004)
Case

How Venture Capitalists Evaluate Potential Venture Opportunities

By: Michael J. Roberts and Lauren Barley

Four venture capitalists from leading Silicon Valley firms are interviewed about the frameworks they use to evaluate potential venture opportunities. Questions include: How do you evaluate the venture's prospective business model? What due diligence do you conduct?... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Opportunities; Framework; Entrepreneurship; Forecasting and Prediction

04 Apr 2012
Research & Ideas

When Founders Recruit Friends and Family as Investors

know they have other choices." Pulling together these considerations, one serial entrepreneur offered this rule of thumb: "If your family comes from a business background and are well-informed about finances and they know to... View Details

Keywords: by Noam Wasserman

January 2017 (Revised October 2023)
Case

Classtivity: Payal's Pirouette

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Olivia Hull

A few months after launching a new fitness technology product, the small staff of New York startup Classtivity gathers on a Saturday in April 2013 to take stock. With one successful pivot under its belt, Classtivity is finally generating revenue and enthusiasm among... View Details

June 2013 (Revised July 2013)
Case

Blackstone Alternative Asset Management

By: Robin Greenwood, Luis M. Viceira and Jared Dourdeville

This case explores reasons for Blackstone Alternative Asset Management's (BAAM's) growth from 2007-2013, a time when the overall fund of hedge funds industry contracted substantially. Additionally, the case analyzes evolving business models and value propositions... View Details

Keywords: Hedge Fund; Fund Of Hedge Funds; Hedge Fund Industry Growth; Fund Of Hedge Funds Industry Growth; Evolving Business Models; Value Propositions In The Fund Of Hege Funds Industry; Business Model; Investment Funds; Growth and Development Strategy; Financial Services Industry; United States

2010
Book

Creating Value through Corporate Restructuring: Case Studies in Bankruptcies, Buyouts, and Breakups

By: Stuart C. Gilson

A collection of case studies illustrates real-world techniques, implementation, and strategies on corporate restructuring. Over the period 1981-1998, public companies with combined assets of over half a trillion dollars filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Over the same... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Public Ownership; Value Creation

Find at Harvard

19 Apr 2023
News

A Kick Start for Latin American Startups

When Monica Saggioro Leal (MBA 2018) and her business partner, Lara Lemann, started MAYA Capital, a tech-focused, Brazilian VC firm launched in 2018, they wanted to take a hands-on approach with their startup investments in their first 12 months. Even so, they were... View Details

Keywords: Maureen Harmon

06 Aug 2021
Book

Steve Jobs and the Rise of the Celebrity CEO

marketing was dreadful, and its finances would have collapsed had it not been for CFO Fred Anderson’s work. The world of computers was dominated by Microsoft, especially after the introduction of its breakthrough product, Windows 95, in... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

25 Jan 2023
News

The Road to the C-Suite, with Citi CFO Mark Mason

school, he says, and sold bubblegum and baseball cards to his classmates over lunch. Later, Mason enrolled in Howard University’s premed program but switched to the business program by the second semester. There, earning his degree in View Details

Keywords: Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management

30 Jun 2010
Working Paper Summaries

The Empire Struck Back: The Mexican Oil Expropriation of 1938 Reconsidered

Keywords: by Noel Maurer; Energy; Utilities

21 Nov 2019
Research & Ideas

Do TV Debates Sway Voters?

voters have already made up their mind,” the team writes. Given the importance of a campaign’s ground game, Pons says that governments should consider ways to improve the quality of information that voters receive. That might involve setting campaign View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

June 2023 (Revised November 2023)
Case

Sober Sidekick

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Kumba Sennaar

Case on the nascent business model of a mobile health IT startup. In particular, should they pivot away from their successful lead generation business model to charging health plans. View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Operations; Business Startups; Business Model; Health Industry; United States

12 Oct 2021
News

Apollo Hires Legendary Banker Bill Lewis (MBA 1982) to Boost Top Ranks

Photo source: Apollo Global Management Inc. Investment banker Bill Lewis (MBA 1982) has joined Apollo Global Management Inc. as a senior partner and a member of Apollo’s Management Committee. Lewis had previously been Chairman of Investment Banking at Lazard, which he... View Details

September 2023
Case

Diamond Standard

By: Lauren H. Cohen, Zhaoheng Gong and Grace Headinger

Cormac Kinney, Founder and CEO of Diamond Standard, was on a mission to transform the U.S. diamond market through unlocking the precious gems as market-traded assets. As a serial FinTech entrepreneur, he hoped to add an additional service to his vault: Carats. The... View Details

February 2013
Case

LEGO (A): The Crisis

By: Jan W. Rivkin, Stefan H. Thomke and Daniela Beyersdorfer

As this case opens, iconic toymaker LEGO stands on the brink of bankruptcy. Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, LEGO's young and newly appointed CEO, must size up changes in the toy industry, learn from the company's recent moves, and craft a strategy that will put LEGO back on... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Competitive Strategy; Crisis Management; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Consumer Products Industry

March 2024
Case

East Rock Capital: 'Talent Is the Best Asset Class'

By: Boris Groysberg, Sarah L. Abbott and Izzy Yeoh

Adam Shapiro and Graham Duncan launched East Rock Capital, LLC in 2006 with a seed investment from Stuart Miller, executive chairman of Lennar Corporation. East Rock managed long-term assets for high-net-worth families, primarily working with external managers who had... View Details

Keywords: Alternative Assets; Hiring; HNW Products And Services; Recruiting; Hedge Funds; Wealth Management; Asset Management; Private Equity; Financial Institutions; Marketing Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Financial Services Industry; United States

Web

Entrepreneurial Management Awards & Honors - Faculty & Research

one of 100 Black Board Members Making a Difference by Board Prospects in 2024. Archie L. Jones : Received the 2024 Dr. James I. Cash Advancing Pathways Award. Olivia S. Kim : Winner of the 2024 Best Paper Award at the Red Rock Finance... View Details

Web

Entrepreneurship Course Online | HBS Online

framework for building and financing new ventures, and make your entrepreneurial dreams a reality. 4 weeks 6-8 hours per week 4 modules Self-Paced with regular deadlines This course earns you a Certificate of Completion from HBS Online.... View Details

December 2005 (Revised February 2019)
Case

Brighter Smiles for the Masses--Colgate vs. P&G

By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee, Dennis Yao and Filipa Azevedo Jorge

In 2000, Procter & Gamble Co. introduced Crest Whitestrips, a new, revolutionary product that allowed consumers to whiten their teeth at home. With Whitestrips, P&G created an entire new category in oral care, worth $460 million in 2002. Whitestrips sent P&G's main... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Advertising; Product Launch; Patents; Price; Performance Effectiveness; Consumer Products Industry