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(4,686)
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- News (1,285)
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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(4,686)
- People (23)
- News (1,285)
- Research (2,570)
- Events (12)
- Multimedia (32)
- Faculty Publications (1,222)
- 2025
- Working Paper
Investor Influence on Media Coverage: Evidence from Venture Capital-Backed Startups
By: Brian K. Baik and Albert Shin
We examine whether and how investors influence media coverage of their private portfolio companies. Using a stacked difference-in-differences design, we find that media coverage of startups increases significantly following venture capital (VC) investment. The effect... View Details
Baik, Brian K., and Albert Shin. "Investor Influence on Media Coverage: Evidence from Venture Capital-Backed Startups." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 24-073, May 2024. (Revised April 2025.)
- November 2002 (Revised June 2003)
- Case
Merchant Card Services, Inc. (A)
By: Constance E. Bagley and David Lane
Explores the interaction between a venture capital firm that negotiates a good deal for itself and the portfolio company that seeks to extricate itself from its obligations. Exemplifies the potential conflicts between the fiduciary duty of board members and the... View Details
Bagley, Constance E., and David Lane. "Merchant Card Services, Inc. (A)." Harvard Business School Case 803-042, November 2002. (Revised June 2003.)
- October 1996
- Case
Jim Bender and Alert, Inc. (A)
Jim Bender has just been hired as CEO of Alert, Inc. Alert, founded in 1986 by a charismatic technologist, has accumulated an impressive portfolio of patents and leading edge technology projects in a variety of fields. The company has never, however, shown a profit and... View Details
Keywords: Business or Company Management; Entrepreneurship; Management Skills; Business Startups; Technology Industry
Bhide, Amar, and Robert W. Lightfoot. "Jim Bender and Alert, Inc. (A)." Harvard Business School Case 897-009, October 1996.
- 08 Feb 2016
- News
Socially responsible investing delivers for investors on all levels
- December 2022 (Revised June 2023)
- Case
KKR at CHI Overhead Doors (A)
By: Dennis Campbell and Ethan Rouen
This case examines the decision by private equity firm KKR to grant equity to every employee at portfolio company CHI Overhead Doors upon purchasing the company in 2015. The case explores whether this initiative will create shared value, growing profits through better... View Details
Keywords: Performance Improvement; Profit Sharing; Compensation and Benefits; Organizational Culture
Campbell, Dennis, and Ethan Rouen. "KKR at CHI Overhead Doors (A)." Harvard Business School Case 123-018, December 2022. (Revised June 2023.)
- June 2014
- Teaching Note
Steve Carpenter at Cake Financial
After investing $9 million of venture capital, Cake Financial had failed to reach critical mass. In early 2010 Cake's assets were sold and the company was dissolved. Founded in 2006, the San Francisco-based Internet company allowed users to monitor their investments... View Details
- July 2010
- Case
Mekong Capital: Building a Culture of Leadership in Vietnam
By: Christopher Marquis, Vinay Ganti, Kevin Smith and Doug Guthrie
Mekong Capital, a private equity firm specializing in investing in Vietnam, had grown dramatically since its inception in 2002 and faced numerous organizational issues in 2007. There was a shortage of qualified middle managers, an overall lack of leadership, and a... View Details
Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Leading Change; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Performance Improvement; Groups and Teams; Alignment; Financial Services Industry
Marquis, Christopher, Vinay Ganti, Kevin Smith, and Doug Guthrie. "Mekong Capital: Building a Culture of Leadership in Vietnam." Harvard Business School Case 411-023, July 2010.
- 2020
- Working Paper
Private Equity and COVID-19
By: Paul A. Gompers, Steven N. Kaplan and Vladimir Mukharlyamov
We survey more than 200 private equity (PE) managers from firms with $1.9 trillion of assets under management (AUM) about their portfolio performance, decisionmaking and activities during the Covid-19 pandemic. Given that PE managers have significant incentives to... View Details
Keywords: Health Pandemics; Private Equity; Management; Investment Portfolio; Performance; Decision Making; Value Creation
Gompers, Paul A., Steven N. Kaplan, and Vladimir Mukharlyamov. "Private Equity and COVID-19." NBER Working Paper Series, No. 27889, October 2020.
Sara L. Fleiss
Sara Fleiss was the co-founder and co-portfolio manager of Emeth Partners, an emerging markets arbitrage hedge fund. Prior to founding Emeth, Sara was the lead analyst on the Emerging Markets Equities portfolio at Harvard Management Company (HMC). At HMC, Sara... View Details
- December 2000
- Case
SupplierMarket.com (A)
By: William A. Sahlman and Jared Stone
Describes a decision confronting the cofounders of a B2B Internet firm that focuses on the purchasing process for manufactured direct materials. The company has raised one round of capital from two prominent venture capital firms and must decide if it makes sense to... View Details
- March 1992 (Revised November 1993)
- Case
Beta Management Co.
A manager of a small investment company has been successfully using index funds for limited market timing. Growth has allowed her to move into picking stocks. She is considering two small and highly variable listed stocks, but is concerned about the risk that these... View Details
Edleson, Michael E. "Beta Management Co." Harvard Business School Case 292-122, March 1992. (Revised November 1993.)
- December 2010 (Revised November 2014)
- Case
Steven Carpenter at Cake Financial
By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Alison Berkley Wagonfeld
After investing $9 million of venture capital, Cake Financial had failed to reach critical mass. In early 2010 Cake's assets were sold and the company was dissolved. Founded in 2006, the San Francisco-based Internet company allowed users to monitor their investments... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Entrepreneurship; Business or Company Management; Business Model; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Strategy; Internet; Financial Services Industry; Web Services Industry
Eisenmann, Thomas R., and Alison Berkley Wagonfeld. "Steven Carpenter at Cake Financial." Harvard Business School Case 811-041, December 2010. (Revised November 2014.)
- February 2024 (Revised January 2025)
- Case
AGENTS.inc: Pathways to Growth at an AI Startup
By: Frank Nagle, Manuel Hoffmann, Karoline Ströhlein and Susan Pinckney
The case describes the history of AGENTS.inc. Despite being a small startup, with only four employees, that had never had a funding round, the company boasted an impressive client portfolio including multiple Fortune 500 companies. While AGENTS.inc had been an early... View Details
Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; Business Startups; Small Business; Transformation; Customer Focus and Relationships; Decisions; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Financial Strategy; AI and Machine Learning; Digital Platforms; Technological Innovation; Copyright; Management; Growth and Development; Market Timing; Ownership; Risk and Uncertainty; Competition; Open Source Distribution; Entrepreneurial Finance; Computer Industry; Europe; Germany
Nagle, Frank, Manuel Hoffmann, Karoline Ströhlein, and Susan Pinckney. "AGENTS.inc: Pathways to Growth at an AI Startup." Harvard Business School Case 724-444, February 2024. (Revised January 2025.)
- January 2011
- Supplement
Matrix Capital Management (C)
By: Malcolm P. Baker and David Lane
Ben Balbale, a partner at hedge fund Matrix Capital, must decide whether to exit their investment in Rovi Corporation, a company with a diverse portfolio of patents used primarily for digital interactive guides. Rovi's shares are up over 50% from the time Balbale... View Details
Keywords: Public Ownership; Cash Flow; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Investment Funds; Financial Strategy; Valuation; Partners and Partnerships; Markets; Performance Efficiency; Patents; Stock Shares; Decisions; Financial Services Industry
Baker, Malcolm P., and David Lane. "Matrix Capital Management (C)." Harvard Business School Supplement 211-060, January 2011.
- August 2001 (Revised April 2005)
- Case
Surface Logix
By: Joseph B. Lassiter III, Michael J. Roberts and Kim Slack
Describes a start-up in the field of nano technology--very small physical structures measured in the billionths of a meter. The company, Surface Logix, has assembled a portfolio of intellectual property and completed some of the R&D work required to develop actual... View Details
Keywords: Business Startups; Research and Development; Marketing Strategy; Product Marketing; Product Development; Intellectual Property; Investment Portfolio
Lassiter, Joseph B., III, Michael J. Roberts, and Kim Slack. "Surface Logix." Harvard Business School Case 802-050, August 2001. (Revised April 2005.)
- January 2011
- Supplement
Matrix Capital Management (B)
By: Malcolm P. Baker and David Lane
Ben Balbale, a partner at hedge fund Matrix Capital, must decide whether to exit their investment in Rovi Corporation, a company with a diverse portfolio of patents used primarily for digital interactive guides. Rovi's shares are up over 50% from the time Balbale... View Details
Keywords: Public Ownership; Cash Flow; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Investment Funds; Financial Strategy; Valuation; Partners and Partnerships; Markets; Performance Efficiency; Patents; Stock Shares; Decisions; Financial Services Industry
Baker, Malcolm P., and David Lane. "Matrix Capital Management (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 211-048, January 2011.
- April 2004
- Case
Case Vignette: The Salesman Saga
By: G. Felda Hardymon, Josh Lerner and Ann Leamon
A venture capitalist faces a situation in which a struggling portfolio company has found a promising vice president of sales through a recruitment agency. The candidate would be an excellent fit for another one of the investor's companies--one that is doing much... View Details
Hardymon, G. Felda, Josh Lerner, and Ann Leamon. "Case Vignette: The Salesman Saga." Harvard Business School Case 804-175, April 2004.
- Article
Impact-Weighted Financial Accounts: A Paradigm Shift
By: Ethan Rouen and George Serafeim
The last decade has seen an exponential increase in corporate sustainability activities and efforts by investors to use these activities in their portfolio formation, valuation, and stewardship activities. This paper explains the need for a uniform strategy to measure... View Details
Keywords: Impact-Weighted Accounts; ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Performance; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Measurement and Metrics; Standards
Rouen, Ethan, and George Serafeim. "Impact-Weighted Financial Accounts: A Paradigm Shift." CESifo Forum 22, no. 3 (May 2021): 20–25.
- September 2011 (Revised July 2012)
- Case
Khosla Ventures: Biofuels Gain Liquidity
By: Joseph B. Lassiter III, William A. Sahlman, Alison Berkley Wagonfeld and Evan Richardson
Samir Kaul, a Partner at Khosla Ventures, looked out his office window. It was late June, 2011, and like almost every day in Menlo Park, the sun was shining. Kaul was reflecting on what had been a very positive 10 months in the venture capital business. Over that span,... View Details
Keywords: Venture Capital; Financial Strategy; Business or Company Management; Partners and Partnerships; Product Development; Investment Portfolio; Financial Services Industry
Lassiter, Joseph B., III, William A. Sahlman, Alison Berkley Wagonfeld, and Evan Richardson. "Khosla Ventures: Biofuels Gain Liquidity." Harvard Business School Case 812-035, September 2011. (Revised July 2012.)
- November 2014
- Case
Ardian—The Sale of Diana
By: Paul A. Gompers and Michael Roberts
The case focuses on a European private equity firm—Ardian—and the process it uses to sell one of its portfolio companies, and the decisions around that sale. Key issues include the choice of an auction or acceptance of a pre-emptive bid, and the role of the portfolio... View Details
Gompers, Paul A., and Michael Roberts. "Ardian—The Sale of Diana." Harvard Business School Case 215-033, November 2014.