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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(3,684)
- People (5)
- News (1,269)
- Research (1,843)
- Events (13)
- Multimedia (55)
- Faculty Publications (1,527)
- March 2016 (Revised February 2017)
- Case
Hello Alfred: Come Home Happy
By: Joseph B. Fuller and Carin-Isabel Knoop
On a mission to "automate the on-demand economy," Harvard Business School classmates Marcela Sapone and Jessica Beck launched Hello Alfred in 2013 to provide subscribers with an "Alfred" to complete various chores for a monthly fee. In early 2016, the company has built... View Details
Keywords: On-demand Economy; Sharing Economy; Technology Startup; Technology; Growth Strategy; Business Startups; Business Growth and Maturation; Entrepreneurship; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Strategic Planning; Service Industry; United States; Boston; Cambridge; New York (city, NY); California
Fuller, Joseph B., and Carin-Isabel Knoop. "Hello Alfred: Come Home Happy." Harvard Business School Case 316-154, March 2016. (Revised February 2017.)
- November 2019 (Revised June 2020)
- Case
Shiseido Acquires Drunk Elephant
By: Jill Avery
On October 7, 2019, the Shiseido Group announced that it would acquire clean skincare brand Drunk Elephant for $845 million, a valuation of 8.5 times sales. Did Shiseido pay too much or too little for this brand asset? How much was the Drunk Elephant brand worth and... View Details
Keywords: Personal Care; Startup; Brand Equity; Brand Valuation; Brand Value; Brand Storytelling; Brand Management; Brands and Branding; Valuation; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Mergers and Acquisitions; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States; Japan
Avery, Jill. "Shiseido Acquires Drunk Elephant." Harvard Business School Case 520-052, November 2019. (Revised June 2020.)
- September 2019 (Revised May 2021)
- Case
pymetrics: Early Days
By: John R. Wells and Benjamin Weinstock
In 2013, CEO Frida Polli was contemplating the next steps for her start-up business, pymetrics. After receiving her PhD in neuropsychology and MBA from HBS, she was determined to put her scientific and academic knowledge to work to build a business solving real world... View Details
Keywords: BrainTech; Psychology; Hiring; Games; Entrepreneur; Start-up; Start-up Growth; Strategic Change; Strategy Formulation; Recruiting; Corporate Culture; Hiring Of Employees; Start-ups; Startup; Startups; Recruitment; Selection and Staffing; Business Startups; Strategy; Competition; Organizational Culture
Wells, John R., and Benjamin Weinstock. "pymetrics: Early Days." Harvard Business School Case 720-374, September 2019. (Revised May 2021.)
- 2025
- Working Paper
Too Much, Too Soon? Early Funding, Technological Unconventionality, and Innovation Capabilities
By: Harsh Ketkar and Maria Roche
The availability of financial resources significantly shapes firm innovation outcomes, especially for early-stage,
innovation-focused technology firms. However, prior research has provided conflicting findings about this
relationship: On the one hand, resource... View Details
Keywords: Startups; Technology Strategy; Novelty; Unconventionality; Resource Constraints; Early Stage Firms; Business Startups; Technological Innovation; Entrepreneurial Finance
Ketkar, Harsh, and Maria Roche. "Too Much, Too Soon? Early Funding, Technological Unconventionality, and Innovation Capabilities." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 25-032, December 2024. (Revised February 2025.)
- August 2016
- Case
Collective Academy
By: Shikhar Ghosh and Christopher Payton
This case is about making the decision to become an entrepreneur and early challenges in setting up a business model and team. In 2015, Pato Bichara co-founded Collective Academy to create an affordable, three-year undergraduate experience to infuse innovation into... View Details
Keywords: Early Stage; Team Building; Business Startup; Trade-offs; Risk; Founders' Agreements; Education; Entrepreneurship; Business Model; Business Startups; Decision Making; Technology Industry; Mexico; Latin America; United States
Ghosh, Shikhar, and Christopher Payton. "Collective Academy." Harvard Business School Case 817-026, August 2016.
- January 2017
- Case
Kada Orthopedics: A Bone of Contention
By: Kevin Schulman and Matt Strickland
Kada Orthopedics is a small implantable orthopedic device manufacturer founded by industry veterans trying to sell stable-technology products to an increasingly cost-conscious healthcare market. Although they have marginally successful product in early 2016, the... View Details
- September 2016 (Revised October 2018)
- Case
LabCDMX: Experiment 50
By: Mitchell Weiss and Maria Fernanda Miguel
There were probably 30,000 public buses, minibuses, and vans in Mexico City. Though, in 2015, no one knew for certain since no comprehensive schedule existed. This was why el Laboratorio para la Ciudad (or LabCDMX) had spawned an effort to generate a map of the... View Details
Keywords: Public Entrepreneurship; Experimentation; Lean Startup; Government; Innovation; Crowdsourcing; Open Data; Entrepreneurship; Social Entrepreneurship; Innovation and Invention; Innovation Leadership; Government Administration; Transportation; Transportation Industry; Mexico City; Mexico
Weiss, Mitchell, and Maria Fernanda Miguel. "LabCDMX: Experiment 50." Harvard Business School Case 817-031, September 2016. (Revised October 2018.)
- March 2022 (Revised February 2024)
- Case
Emeritus: Achieving Impact, Providing Access (A)
By: Ashish Nanda and Zack Kurtovich
In June 2019, Emeritus cofounders Ashwin Damera (HBS MBA 2005) and Chaitanya Kalipatnapu were thrilled with the rapid growth of Emeritus. Damera and Kalipatnapu believed that Emeritus, established in July 2015 to offer online executive education, was only in the early... View Details
Keywords: Education Technology; Professional Service Firm; Startup; Digital Strategy; Global Business; Global Firm; Platform Business; Business Startups; Growth and Development; Growth and Development Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Executive Education; Strategy; Education Industry; India
Nanda, Ashish, and Zack Kurtovich. "Emeritus: Achieving Impact, Providing Access (A)." Harvard Business School Case 722-429, March 2022. (Revised February 2024.)
- March 2019 (Revised June 2021)
- Case
HelloSelf: Foundation
By: John R. Wells and Benjamin Weinstock
On January 6, 2019, HelloSelf, a London-based “BrainTech” company, founded a year earlier by Charles Wells, soft launched. The proposition was simply to help its members “Be your Best Self.” The company provided its registered members with access to a clinical... View Details
Keywords: Startup; Start-up; Startup Management; Startup Marketing; Startups; Start-ups; BrainTech; Marketing Research; Strategic Decision Making; Strategy Development; Strategy Dynamics; Neuroscience; Cognition; Cognitive Psychology; Health & Wellness; Health Care; Health Care Reform; Health Care Outcomes; Self-awareness; Mental Health; Wellbeing; Wellness; Funding; Equity Financing; Raising Capital; Synergies; Team Building; National Health Insurance; Artificial Intelligence; MVP; Business Startups; Health; Health Care and Treatment; Management; Well-being; Marketing Channels; Decision Making; Strategy; Technology; United Kingdom; London
Wells, John R., and Benjamin Weinstock. "HelloSelf: Foundation." Harvard Business School Case 719-492, March 2019. (Revised June 2021.)
- November 2019 (Revised April 2020)
- Case
Away: Scaling a DTC Travel Brand
By: Jill Avery and Joseph B. Fuller
Away, a direct-to-consumer, digital native e-commerce seller of travel luggage, is debating how to invest its latest round of venture funding. How quickly could and should Away scale and what were the most promising growth trajectories to maximize its potential? Three... View Details
Keywords: Brand Management; DTC; Brand Extension; Lifestyle Brand; Customer Segmentation; Retailing; Scaling And Growth; Startup; Brands and Branding; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Marketing Channels; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Consumer Behavior; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Startups; E-commerce; Consumer Products Industry; Travel Industry; United States; North America
Avery, Jill, and Joseph B. Fuller. "Away: Scaling a DTC Travel Brand." Harvard Business School Case 520-051, November 2019. (Revised April 2020.)
- September 2020
- Case
The Black New Venture Competition
By: Karen Mills, Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Martin Sinozich and Gabriella Elanbeck
Black entrepreneurs encounter many unique obstacles when raising capital to start and grow a business. During their second year at Harvard Business School (HBS), MBA students Kimberly Foster and Tyler Simpson decided to do something to make a difference for... View Details
Keywords: Startup; Start-up; Startup Financing; Startups; Start-ups; African-American Protagonist; African-american Entrepreneurs; African-american Investors; African-Americans; African-American Women; Black Leadership; Black Inventors; Black Entrepreneurs; Harvard Business School; Harvard; Business And Society; Early Stage Funding; Early Stage Finance; Technology Entrepreneurship; Discrimination; Technology Ventures; Entrepreneurial Finance; Entrepreneurial Financing; Business Plan; Business Startups; Business Ventures; Financing and Loans; Business Growth and Maturation; Diversity; Gender; Race; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Small Business; Leadership; Information Technology; Competition; Technology Industry
Mills, Karen, Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Martin Sinozich, and Gabriella Elanbeck. "The Black New Venture Competition." Harvard Business School Case 821-029, September 2020.
- February 2021 (Revised March 2022)
- Case
Marvin: A Personalized Telehealth Approach to Mental Health
By: Regina E. Herzlinger, Eshani Sharma, Andrew Nguyen, Thomas Arsenault, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Julia Kelley
More than one third of Americans were said to suffer some type of behavioral health ailment at some point in their lifetime, with many people requiring chronic therapy or intervention. Despite significant clinical needs, access to reliable treatment has been difficult... View Details
Keywords: Mental Health; Applications; Startup Management; Telehealth; Health Care Entrepreneurship; Health & Wellness; Health Care; Health Care and Treatment; Customization and Personalization; Internet and the Web; Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development Strategy; Applications and Software
Herzlinger, Regina E., Eshani Sharma, Andrew Nguyen, Thomas Arsenault, Carin-Isabel Knoop, and Julia Kelley. "Marvin: A Personalized Telehealth Approach to Mental Health." Harvard Business School Case 321-127, February 2021. (Revised March 2022.)
- August 2019
- Case
ClearScore, 2018
By: John R. Wells and Benjamin Weinstock
In October 2017, Experian, one of the “Big Three” consumer credit reporting agencies in the United Kingdom made an offer to acquire ClearScore for a total consideration of £293 million. Founded by Justin Basini, Dan Cobley, and Nigel Morris in 2014, ClearScore was the... View Details
Keywords: Fintech; Financial Services; Credit Card; Credit Scores; Startup; Start-up; Startup Financing; Startup Marketing; "Marketing Analytics"; Regulation; Lending; Television Advertising; Entrepreneur; Entrepreneurial Mindset; Entrepreneurial Ventures; Entrepreneurs; Global Business; Rapid Growth Stage; Risk; Net Present Value; Testing; Testing Strategy; Geographies; Mergers & Acquisitions; Finance; Strategy; Credit; Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Expansion; Mergers and Acquisitions; Financial Services Industry; United Kingdom; South Africa
Wells, John R., and Benjamin Weinstock. "ClearScore, 2018." Harvard Business School Case 720-369, August 2019.
- June 2016
- Teaching Note
HubSpot: Lower Churn through Greater CHI
By: Jill Avery, Asis Martinez Jerez and Thomas Steenburgh
HubSpot, a web marketing startup selling inbound marketing software to small- and medium-sized businesses, is under pressure from its venture capital partners to rapidly acquire new customers and to maintain a low level of customer churn. The B2B SaaS company is in the... View Details
- January 2023 (Revised May 2023)
- Case
Steve Jobs: Changing the World
By: Robert Simons and Shirley Sun
This case traces the life of Steve Jobs who throughout his career flaunted convention and chose an unusual path to success. The case describes how Jobs, as young man, acquired an appreciation for aesthetics and the liberal arts, but was also quick to recognize and... View Details
Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Technology; Business Startups; Personal Characteristics; Leadership Style; Innovation; Work-life Balance; Innovation Leadership; Power and Influence; Success; Information Technology Industry; United States
Simons, Robert, and Shirley Sun. "Steve Jobs: Changing the World." Harvard Business School Case 123-022, January 2023. (Revised May 2023.)
- November 2024
- Supplement
AlphaGo (C): Birth of a New Intelligence
By: Shikhar Ghosh and Shweta Bagai
This case, the final of a three-part series, explores DeepMind's pivotal transition from mastering games to solving real-world scientific challenges. In December 2020, DeepMind's AI system AlphaFold 2 achieved a breakthrough by solving protein folding—a 50-year-old... View Details
Keywords: Autonomy; Deep Learning; Drug Discovery; Healthcare Innovation; Neural Networks; Scientific Research; Technology Startup; AI and Machine Learning; Technological Innovation; Research and Development; Business Model; Business Strategy; Open Source Distribution; Technology Industry; United States
Ghosh, Shikhar, and Shweta Bagai. "AlphaGo (C): Birth of a New Intelligence." Harvard Business School Supplement 825-075, November 2024.
- June 2018
- Teaching Note
LabCDMX: Experiment 50
By: Mitchell Weiss and Matt Higgins
Teaching Note for HBS No. 817-031. View Details
Keywords: Public Entrepreneurship; Experimentation; Lean Startup; Government; Innovation; Crowdsourcing; Open Data; Mexico City; Mexico; Entrepreneurship; Innovation and Invention; Social Entrepreneurship; Government Administration; Transportation; Innovation Leadership; Transportation Industry; Public Administration Industry; Mexico; Mexico City
- November 2014
- Teaching Note
Claritas Genomics
By: Robert F. Higgins and Matthew G. Preble
Dr. Patrice Milos is the first CEO of Claritas Genomics (Claritas) and she faces a number of challenges in scaling the young company. Claritas was formed around a lab spun out from Boston Children's Hospital (BCH) which had performed genomic tests for the hospital. Now... View Details
- October 2022
- Case
Volt Lines: Leading a B2B Service Provider through a Crisis (A)
By: Navid Mojir and Gamze Yucaoglu
Volt Lines was a next-generation transportation service in Istanbul, Turkey. The company was trying to disrupt the traditional corporate transportation market by developing software that allowed it to offer subscription-based transportation. Under the subscription... View Details
Keywords: Business To Business Marketing; B2B Marketing; B2B Pricing; Subscription Model; Crisis Marketing; Startup; Service Management; Information Technology; Transportation; COVID-19 Pandemic; Disruptive Innovation; Digital Platforms; Business Model; Price; Crisis Management; Opportunities; Transportation Industry; Technology Industry; Turkey
Mojir, Navid, and Gamze Yucaoglu. "Volt Lines: Leading a B2B Service Provider through a Crisis (A)." Harvard Business School Case 523-037, October 2022.
- December 2014 (Revised November 2023)
- Case
Codecademy: Monetizing a Movement?
By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Lisa C. Mazzanti
Codecademy, an open-platform, online community for learning computer programming, launched in 2011. By 2014, the company had raised a total of $12.5 million in funding and was, on many fronts, an overwhelming success. However, there were still no revenues. The founders... View Details
Keywords: Entrepreneurial Management; Startup Management; Technology; Computer Programming; Coding; Online Education; Monetization; Online Communities; Marketplaces; Internet and the Web; Education; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; Technology Industry; Education Industry
Bussgang, Jeffrey J., and Lisa C. Mazzanti. "Codecademy: Monetizing a Movement?" Harvard Business School Case 815-093, December 2014. (Revised November 2023.)