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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(1,095)
- People (23)
- News (239)
- Research (566)
- Events (4)
- Multimedia (10)
- Faculty Publications (383)
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- May 2014
- Article
Making 'Freemium' Work: Many Start-ups Fail to Recognize the Challenges of This Popular Business Model
By: Vineet Kumar
The article discusses the "freemium" business model, which is used by some Internet businesses and smartphone application developers to give users free basic features of a digital product and access to premium functionality for a subscription fee. The discussion topics... View Details
Kumar, Vineet. "Making 'Freemium' Work: Many Start-ups Fail to Recognize the Challenges of This Popular Business Model." Harvard Business Review 92, no. 5 (May 2014): 27–29.
- January 2008 (Revised December 2008)
- Case
Codman Academy: Beyond the Start-up Phase
By: Stacey Childress and Tiffany K. Cheng
As it entered its seventh academic year, Codman Academy, an expeditionary learning charter school located in Dorchester, Massachusetts, was reflecting on its successes and challenges. The school had succeeded in placing every member of its most recent graduating class... View Details
Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; Leadership; Performance Improvement; Partners and Partnerships; Education Industry; Boston
Childress, Stacey, and Tiffany K. Cheng. "Codman Academy: Beyond the Start-up Phase." Harvard Business School Case 308-072, January 2008. (Revised December 2008.)
- December 2016 (Revised December 2018)
- Case
From Start-Up to Grown-Up Nation: The Future of the Israeli Innovation Ecosystem
By: Elie Ofek and Margot Eiran
In June 2016, Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, wrestled with how to sustain Israel’s strong innovation track record and the country’s reputation as the “startup nation.” Despite the economic miracle the country had wrought since its founding, he... View Details
Keywords: Israel; Israeli Start-up Nation; Innovation Economy; Entrepreneurial Mindset; Scaling-up; Unicorns; Innovation Clusters; High-tech; Innovation Management; Multinational Corporation R&D Centers; Social Equality; Two-tier Economy; Liberalizing An Economy; Foreign Investment; Military Service; Quality Of Human Capital; Socioeconomic Gaps; Labor Force Participation; Government Initiatives; Innovation and Management; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Business Startups; Government and Politics; Economy; Equality and Inequality; Education; Resource Allocation; Globalization; Israel
Ofek, Elie, and Margot Eiran. "From Start-Up to Grown-Up Nation: The Future of the Israeli Innovation Ecosystem." Harvard Business School Case 517-066, December 2016. (Revised December 2018.)
- February 2019 (Revised November 2021)
- Case
MoviePass
By: Willy Shih
Mitch Lowe, the CEO of MoviePass, was having trouble convincing people of the viability of the company's business model. The company was building a multi-sided platform and was planning to extract value from increasing traffic to movie theaters through a number of... View Details
Keywords: Start-up; Start-up Growth; Start-ups; Business Model Innovation; Business Model; Innovation and Invention; Multi-Sided Platforms; Business Startups; Planning; Motion Pictures and Video Industry; United States
Shih, Willy. "MoviePass." Harvard Business School Case 619-052, February 2019. (Revised November 2021.)
- January 2002
- Article
Organizational Endowments and the Performance of University Start-ups
By: Scott Shane and Toby E. Stuart
The question of how initial resource endowments—the stocks of resources that entrepreneurs contribute to their new ventures at the time of founding—affect organizational life chances is one of significant interest in organizational ecology, evolutionary... View Details
Keywords: Resource Allocation; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Research; Company History; Initial Public Offering; Venture Capital; Financing and Loans
Shane, Scott, and Toby E. Stuart. "Organizational Endowments and the Performance of University Start-ups." Management Science 48, no. 1 (January 2002): 154–170. (
Winner of Greiff Research Impact Award presented by Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
.)- January 2000 (Revised October 2000)
- Case
Staples: A Year in the Life of a Start-Up
By: Myra M. Hart
The case provides information on the development of the office superstore concept, building partnerships, creating the business plan, and recruiting a management team. Focuses on the detailed level of decision making required to transform an idea into a viable... View Details
Keywords: Business Startups; Partners and Partnerships; Business Strategy; Recruitment; Management Teams; Integration; Information Technology; Entrepreneurship; Business Plan; Decision Making
Hart, Myra M. "Staples: A Year in the Life of a Start-Up." Harvard Business School Case 800-241, January 2000. (Revised October 2000.)
- September 2022
- Article
Experimentation and Start-up Performance: Evidence from A/B Testing
By: Rembrand Koning, Sharique Hasan and Aaron Chatterji
Recent scholarship has argued that experimentation should be the organizing principle for entrepreneurial strategy. Experimentation leads to organizational learning, which drives improvements in firm performance. We investigate this proposition by exploiting the... View Details
Keywords: Experimentation; A/B Testing; Data-driven Decision-making; Organizational Learning; Entrepreneurship; Strategy; Business Startups; Learning; Performance; Decision Making
Koning, Rembrand, Sharique Hasan, and Aaron Chatterji. "Experimentation and Start-up Performance: Evidence from A/B Testing." Management Science 68, no. 9 (September 2022): 6434–6453.
- January 2006 (Revised August 2008)
- Case
Vivaldi Food Concepts--The Start-up of an Asian Venture (A)
Joel Silverstein needs to raise an additional $1.5 million from private investors to round out the equity financing for his new Quick Service Restaurant venture in China, Korea, and Japan. How should he pitch the opportunity? What should be the terms? View Details
Keywords: Venture Capital; Private Equity; Business Startups; Retail Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Japan; China; South Korea
Isenberg, Daniel J. "Vivaldi Food Concepts--The Start-up of an Asian Venture (A)." Harvard Business School Case 806-118, January 2006. (Revised August 2008.)
- February 2024
- Case
Oak Street Health: From Start-up to Strategic Acquisition
By: Leemore S. Dafny and Thomas H. Lee
Oak Street Health opened its first primary care center for seniors in underserved communities in 2013. By 2022 the company had 169 centers and a market valuation exceeding $10 billion. Oak Street created value by accepting risk-adjusted, capitated payments for Medicare... View Details
Dafny, Leemore S., and Thomas H. Lee. "Oak Street Health: From Start-up to Strategic Acquisition." Harvard Business School Case 324-053, February 2024.
- March 2000 (Revised April 2004)
- Case
VacationSpot.com & Rent-A-Holiday: Negotiating a Trans-Atlantic Merger of Start-Ups
Describes a potential trans-Atlantic merger between two young companies in the Internet space. VacationSpot.com, based in Seattle, and Rent-A-Holiday, based in Brussels, both offer online listings and reservations for independent leisure lodging (i.e., villas,... View Details
Keywords: Negotiation; Valuation; Internet and the Web; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Startups; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Travel Industry; United States; Brussels
Kuemmerle, Walter, and William J. Coughlin Jr. "VacationSpot.com & Rent-A-Holiday: Negotiating a Trans-Atlantic Merger of Start-Ups." Harvard Business School Case 800-334, March 2000. (Revised April 2004.)
- May–June 2023
- Article
Should Your Start-up Be For-profit or Nonprofit?: A Guide for Social Entrepreneurs
By: Cait Brumme and Brian Trelstad
Years ago the line between nonprofit and for-profit enterprises was clear, but that has changed. Nonprofits now offer products that compete with those of the best for-profits, and for-profits can deliver as much social value as charities. Despite the blurred... View Details
Keywords: Business Startups; Social Entrepreneurship; Mission and Purpose; Nonprofit Organizations; For-Profit Firms; Decision Choices and Conditions
Brumme, Cait, and Brian Trelstad. "Should Your Start-up Be For-profit or Nonprofit? A Guide for Social Entrepreneurs." Harvard Business Review 101, no. 3 (May–June 2023): 136–145.
- July–August 2023
- Article
Case Study: How Should a Start-Up Cut Its Burn Rate?
By: Nitin Nohria, Katie Josephson, Sophia Wronsky and Elizabeth Rha
Tyler Smith, the founder and CEO of the enterprise software firm Puck.io, is facing a hard decision. Just three months earlier the company laid off 20% of its employees to reduce its burn rate amid growing economic uncertainty and a suddenly unattractive funding... View Details
Keywords: Employees; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Governing and Advisory Boards; Business and Shareholder Relations; Business or Company Management; Business Startups
Nohria, Nitin, Katie Josephson, Sophia Wronsky, and Elizabeth Rha. "Case Study: How Should a Start-Up Cut Its Burn Rate?" Harvard Business Review 101, no. 4 (July–August 2023): 144–149.
- September 2010
- Teaching Note
The Challenges of Launching a Start-Up in China: Dorm99.com (TN)
Teaching Note for 307075. View Details
- June 2016
- Teaching Note
The Cheese and the Oligarchs: The Politics, the Media, and Israel's Dream of a Start-Up Nation
By: Rafael Di Tella and Christine Snively
Israel enjoyed the highest concentration of technology start-ups in the world per capita. Despite regional instability, the country maintained strong economic growth and was considered a high-tech powerhouse. But not all Israelis benefited. Between the 1980s and 2010s,... View Details
- June 2016 (Revised December 2017)
- Case
The Cheese and the Oligarchs: The Politics, the Media, and Israel's Dream of a Start-Up Nation
By: Rafael Di Tella and Christine Snively
Israel enjoyed the highest concentration of technology start-ups in the world per capita. Despite regional instability, the country maintained strong economic growth and was considered a high-tech powerhouse. But not all Israelis benefited. Between the 1980s and 2010s,... View Details
Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Information Technology; Business Conglomerates; Business Startups; Israel
Di Tella, Rafael, and Christine Snively. "The Cheese and the Oligarchs: The Politics, the Media, and Israel's Dream of a Start-Up Nation." Harvard Business School Case 716-060, June 2016. (Revised December 2017.)
- February 2017 (Revised December 2018)
- Case
From Start-Up to Grown-Up Nation: The Future of the Israeli Innovation Ecosystem (Abridged)
By: Elie Ofek and Margot Eiran
In June 2016, Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, wrestled with how to sustain Israel’s strong innovation track record and the country’s reputation as the “start-up nation.” Despite the economic miracle the country had wrought since its founding, he... View Details
Keywords: Innovation and Management; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Government and Politics; Economy; Equality and Inequality; Israel
Ofek, Elie, and Margot Eiran. "From Start-Up to Grown-Up Nation: The Future of the Israeli Innovation Ecosystem (Abridged)." Harvard Business School Case 517-103, February 2017. (Revised December 2018.)
- January 2003 (Revised May 2005)
- Case
Zipcar: Refining the Business Model
By: Myra M. Hart, Michael J. Roberts and Julia Stevens
Zipcar is a start-up organized around the idea of "sharing" car usage via a membership organization. This case describes several iterations of the Zipcar business model and financial plan. These iterations include a very early version and a version developed just prior... View Details
Keywords: Service Operations; Renting or Rental; Business Model; Business Plan; Entrepreneurship; Economic Growth; Management Skills; Transportation; Business Startups; Financial Strategy; Corporate Finance; Growth and Development Strategy; Transportation Industry; Service Industry
Hart, Myra M., Michael J. Roberts, and Julia Stevens. "Zipcar: Refining the Business Model." Harvard Business School Case 803-096, January 2003. (Revised May 2005.)
- July 2020
- Supplement
Instabeat—Crossing the Finish Line
By: Shikhar Ghosh, Nicole Tempest Keller and Alpana Thapar
Lebanese entrepreneur Hind Hobeika was just 21 years old when she launched her startup, Instabeat, which had developed the first real-time bio-feedback device for swimmers to monitor and improve their performance. It had been an extremely testing 10-year journey to... View Details
Keywords: Start-up; Wearables; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Information Technology; Information Infrastructure; Strategy; Operations; Management; United States; Lebanon
Ghosh, Shikhar, Nicole Tempest Keller, and Alpana Thapar. "Instabeat—Crossing the Finish Line." Harvard Business School Supplement 821-012, July 2020.
- September 2023
- Case
DocSend: A Path off the Plateau?
By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Jeffrey Huizinga
Recounts how the leaders of DocSend, an early-stage startup that offered tools for sharing files online, searched for a viable business model and weighed tradeoffs in transitioning from a sales-led to a product-led "go-to-market" approach. View Details
Keywords: Technology; Start-up; Growth; Business Model; Business Startups; Sales; Growth and Development Strategy; Technology Industry
Eisenmann, Thomas R., and Jeffrey Huizinga. "DocSend: A Path off the Plateau?" Harvard Business School Case 824-038, September 2023.
- 13 Sep 2004
- Research & Ideas
Cash and the Woman-Owned Business
Building sufficient cash reserves to launch a business and managing subsequent fundraising are challenges for every entrepreneur, but they are particularly daunting tasks for women. Women often come up short of cash at View Details