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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(897)
- News (310)
- Research (435)
- Events (1)
- Multimedia (15)
- Faculty Publications (304)
- Career Coach
Juan Leung Li
in the entrepreneurship ecosystem on campus to launch a startup while in school, co-found Rock Venture Partners and pursue his passion to help entrepreneurs as an early stage VC. Juan is a Partner at Tectonic Ventures, a B2B pre-seed and... View Details
- September 2009 (Revised August 2011)
- Case
Urban Decay: A Great Idea
By: Lena G. Goldberg
Casual discussions of ideas for a new business can have unintended legal consequences and expectations about founder status and ownership shares may diverge widely. Using facts from a litigated case, the concept of inadvertent formation of a partnership is explored. View Details
Keywords: Business Startups; Spoken Communication; Lawsuits and Litigation; Ownership Stake; Partners and Partnerships
Goldberg, Lena G. "Urban Decay: A Great Idea." Harvard Business School Case 310-032, September 2009. (Revised August 2011.)
- June 2005 (Revised August 2010)
- Case
Distrobot Systems, Inc.
Distrobot is a start-up that has developed a new system for warehouse automation. The company is trying to raise money to finance the launch of the product. The founder must decide how much capital to raise, from whom, and on what terms. View Details
- July 2021
- Case
Kevin D. Johnson: To Be a Venture Capitalist or an Operator?
By: Jo Tango and Alys Ferragamo
In May of 2021, Kevin D. Johnson had just graduated from a rigorous Executive MBA program, and he quickly needed to decide on his next career move. Johnson was the founder and CEO of a successful media company, Johnson Media Inc., but his career goals had shifted while... View Details
Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Goals and Objectives; Race; Wealth; Decisions; Venture Capital; Personal Development and Career; United States
Tango, Jo, and Alys Ferragamo. "Kevin D. Johnson: To Be a Venture Capitalist or an Operator?" Harvard Business School Case 822-012, July 2021.
- August 2001 (Revised March 2004)
- Supplement
Officenet (B): After the Merger
Describes the execution of a new economy merger. Officenet, a bricks-and-clicks retailer of office supplies, is sold to an Internet pure-play, Submarino.com. Officenet's founders are in Brazil, where the company recently expanded its operations, and must consider... View Details
Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Startups; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Brazil
Kuemmerle, Walter, and Meredith Collura. "Officenet (B): After the Merger." Harvard Business School Supplement 802-010, August 2001. (Revised March 2004.)
- March 2020
- Case
Maven Clinic: Women's Health in the Digital Age
By: Ariel D. Stern and Sarah Mehta
In late 2017, Kate Ryder, the founder and CEO of digital women’s health telemedicine company Maven Clinic, faced an important decision. Maven offered both a direct to consumer (D2C) product that anyone could use to book virtual appointments with health practitioners... View Details
Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Health; Health Care and Treatment; Strategy; Information Technology; Applications and Software; Health Industry; Technology Industry; United States
Stern, Ariel D., and Sarah Mehta. "Maven Clinic: Women's Health in the Digital Age." Harvard Business School Case 620-035, March 2020.
- July 1998 (Revised February 1999)
- Case
Private Communications Corporation (A)
Ann Meceda is a soon-to-be MBA graduate. She has been working as the director of marketing in an Internet start-up, and now the founder wants her to become CEO. She must weigh the personal and business risks and assess her own objectives and tolerance for risks. View Details
Keywords: Risk Management; Internet and the Web; Management Succession; Marketing; Personal Development and Career; Business Startups; Service Industry
Roberts, Michael J., and Nicole Tempest. "Private Communications Corporation (A)." Harvard Business School Case 899-032, July 1998. (Revised February 1999.)
- 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
Keywords: Tokenization; Fintech; Cryptocurrency; Liquidity; Digital; Rare Earth Minerals; Decentralized; Crypto Economy; Financial Product; Metals; Diamonds; Commodity; Assets; Financial Instruments; Financial Institutions; Financial Markets; Investment; Technological Innovation; Natural Resources; Business Startups; Currency; Financial Services Industry; United States
Cohen, Lauren H., Zhaoheng Gong, and Grace Headinger. "Diamond Standard." Harvard Business School Case 224-009, September 2023.
- January 2003 (Revised May 2003)
- Case
VendQuest (A): The Business Idea
By: Dwight B. Crane and David Foster
A potential founder of a company is considering whether to start up a new enterprise that would link parts distributors with customers in the construction industries via the Internet. This case describes the industry and the potential advantages to distributors and... View Details
Keywords: Business Startups; Corporate Strategy; Business Model; Distribution; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Internet and the Web; Business Plan; Customer Relationship Management; Business Ventures; Construction Industry
Crane, Dwight B., and David Foster. "VendQuest (A): The Business Idea." Harvard Business School Case 203-065, January 2003. (Revised May 2003.)
- February 2013
- Case
18 Months in a Startup: Zaggora.com
By: Tom Nicholas
The founders of Zaggora reflected back on a tumultuous year-and-a-half in which they had generated, from just $40,000 in personal savings, a multi-million dollar sportswear enterprise selling Hotpants to women. These were hotpants not of the 1960s hipster variety, but... View Details
Keywords: Internet and the Web; Growth Management; Problems and Challenges; Business Startups; Brands and Branding; Innovation and Invention; Corporate Finance; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Sports Industry
Nicholas, Tom. "18 Months in a Startup: Zaggora.com." Harvard Business School Case 813-140, February 2013.
- January 2005 (Revised April 2006)
- Case
Stonewall Kitchen
By: Myra M. Hart, Victoria Winston, Kristin Lieb, Kenna Wyllie Baudin, Alison Bell and Leslie Simmons
Jonathan King and Jim Stott, the founders of Stonewall Kitchen, started out in 1992 with a simple business selling jams and jellies at local farmers' markets. By 2004, they had grown the company into a $25 million organization with 250 employees. They expanded their... View Details
Keywords: Strategic Planning; Food; Expansion; Business Growth and Maturation; Entrepreneurship; Financing and Loans; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; Retail Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; United States
Hart, Myra M., Victoria Winston, Kristin Lieb, Kenna Wyllie Baudin, Alison Bell, and Leslie Simmons. "Stonewall Kitchen." Harvard Business School Case 805-006, January 2005. (Revised April 2006.)
- January 2011
- Case
Aardvark
By: Thomas R. Eisenmann, Alison Berkley Wagonfeld and Lauren Barley
Aardvark is an online social search service that allows users to pose questions and receive answers from other users in their extended social network. The case explores the process that Aardvark's founders used to design and develop their product based on intensive... View Details
Keywords: Business Startups; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Satisfaction; Entrepreneurship; Product Design; Product Development; Social and Collaborative Networks; Internet and the Web
Eisenmann, Thomas R., Alison Berkley Wagonfeld, and Lauren Barley. "Aardvark." Harvard Business School Case 811-064, January 2011.
- October 2000 (Revised November 2000)
- Case
Handspring
By: Myra M. Hart and Mary Rotelli
Donna Dubinsky and Jeff Hawkins, founders of Palm Computing, have launched a new venture--Handspring. They are preparing for an IPO in the spring of 2000. When the markets begin to collapse and their investment bankers suggest a significantly lower price, they must... View Details
Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Investment Banking; Initial Public Offering; Valuation; Business Processes; Computer Industry; Technology Industry
Hart, Myra M., and Mary Rotelli. "Handspring." Harvard Business School Case 801-112, October 2000. (Revised November 2000.)
- October 2022
- Supplement
Framebridge (B): A New Approach
By: Rembrand Koning and Alicia Dadlani
In 2022, after revamping operations and expanding retail stores, Framebridge founder and CEO Susan Tynan is optimistic for the future but realizes changing market dynamics. New competitors are entering the market, and margin pressures remained. This case is part two of... View Details
Keywords: Business Startups; Business Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Operations; Market Entry and Exit; Consumer Products Industry; United States; District of Columbia; Kentucky
Koning, Rembrand, and Alicia Dadlani. "Framebridge (B): A New Approach." Harvard Business School Supplement 723-353, October 2022.
- June 2012 (Revised June 2012)
- Case
PunchTab, Inc. Investor Presentation Deck
By: William R. Kerr and Ramana Nanda
This case examines the PowerPoint presentation that Ranjith Kumaran, founder of the start-up PunchTab, Inc., is using for his investment pitches to venture capital firms. Students can discuss the materials that Kumaran has included, his presentation style, and what... View Details
Kerr, William R., and Ramana Nanda. "PunchTab, Inc. Investor Presentation Deck." Harvard Business School Case 812-172, June 2012. (Revised June 2012.)
- December 1996 (Revised June 1998)
- Case
Midnight Networks, Inc.
By: H. Kent Bowen and Marilyn Matis
Midnight Networks, Inc., is a small computer network validation company. This case describes how the five founders built their business from operations earnings and how they established "best practices" operational processes to run their firm successfully. Operational... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Entrepreneurship; Business or Company Management; Operations; Organizational Culture; Applications and Software; Business Startups; Business Growth and Maturation; Information Technology Industry; Massachusetts
Bowen, H. Kent, and Marilyn Matis. "Midnight Networks, Inc." Harvard Business School Case 697-019, December 1996. (Revised June 1998.)
- February 2024
- Supplement
Seeds of Innovation: GALY’s Quest to Cultivate the Future of Agriculture in the Lab
By: George Serafeim
In 2023, Luciano Bueno, CEO and founder of plant cell culture agriculture company GALY, was considering the best path forward for his company as he planned to pitch Series B investors. GALY, founded in 2019, aimed to produce cotton and other crops from cells grown in... View Details
Keywords: Business Model; Green Technology; Goods and Commodities; Growth and Development Strategy; Science-Based Business; Entrepreneurship; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Business Startups; Decisions; Technological Innovation; Production; Entrepreneurial Finance; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Technology Industry; Boston; Sao Paulo
Serafeim, George. "Seeds of Innovation: GALY's Quest to Cultivate the Future of Agriculture in the Lab." Harvard Business School Multimedia/Video Supplement 124-705, February 2024.
- November 2006
- Case
Brontes Technologies -- 2005
By: William A. Sahlman and Caroline Perkins
Describes a set of decisions confronting the founders of a company developing a new device for taking three-dimensional pictures of teeth in order to improve dental outcomes. The company needs more money and must choose between raising new equity capital from a venture... View Details
- March 1996 (Revised August 2000)
- Case
Wildfire Communications, Inc. (A)
By: Jeffrey F. Rayport and Mary Connor
Founder and CEO Bill Warner is faced with critical decisions regarding the product lines, target markets, and technology platforms that his start-up, Wildfire Communications, Inc., will pursue. In addition to the question of strategic focus across these lines of... View Details
Keywords: Technology; Resource Allocation; Organizational Culture; Business Startups; Business Strategy; Communications Industry; Technology Industry
Rayport, Jeffrey F., and Mary Connor. "Wildfire Communications, Inc. (A)." Harvard Business School Case 396-305, March 1996. (Revised August 2000.)
- January 2000 (Revised April 2000)
- Case
AsiaMail.com: What's in a Name?
By: Myra M. Hart and Sharon Peyus
Three founders of an international Internet company (e-mail-based marketing) struggle with naming the company. As they prepare to invest more than $10 million of first-round venture funding in advertising and marketing, they search for a name that will have power and... View Details
Keywords: Business Startups; Venture Capital; Brands and Branding; Internet and the Web; Entrepreneurship; Advertising; Marketing; Information Technology Industry; Service Industry; Asia
Hart, Myra M., and Sharon Peyus. "AsiaMail.com: What's in a Name?" Harvard Business School Case 800-132, January 2000. (Revised April 2000.)