Publications

Portrait Project

Neda Navab

grandmother Rose acted out in defiance. She would regularly go to sleep early, leaving only a cold dinner to greet my grandfather Ali after his long day of labor on an Iranian cotton plantation. On their first anniversary, Rose awoke to... View Details

Web

Faculty - Creating Emerging Markets

Seema Aziz Syed Babar Ali Ratan Naval Tata Dr. Prathap C. Reddy Sir Fazle Hasan Abed Keshub Mahindra Adi Godrej Dr. Yusuf Hamied Suresh Krishna Hakeem I. Belo-Osagie Senior Lecturer of Business Administration Interviews Omobola Johnson... View Details

July 2022 (Revised October 2024)
Case

3G Capital

By: Jo Tango and Alys Ferragamo

In June 2022, 3G Capital Co-Managing Partners Alex Behring and Daniel Schwartz were in a partners’ meeting. On the agenda were three potential investments. Code named “Alpha,” “Bravo,” and “Charlie” (real target companies that have been disguised), they were the... View Details

Keywords: Investment Decisions; Investment Funds; Investment Portfolio; Decision Choices and Conditions; Private Equity; Leveraged Buyouts

June 2022 (Revised November 2023)
Case

Individual FoodService, Kelso, and Ken Sweder

By: Jo Tango and Alys Ferragamo

When and how much risk to take? In October 2020, Ken Sweder, CEO of Individual FoodService (“IFS”), contemplated this question as he evaluated a proposal to acquire Brady Industries, a distributor of janitorial and sanitation products. Sweder and his private equity... View Details

Keywords: COVID-19 Pandemic; Risk Management; Mergers and Acquisitions; Value Creation; Business Divisions

08 Feb 2017
Blog Post

How I Chose My HBS Recommenders

My name is Ali. I’m an EC in the MBA program, and I’m from Syria. I was born in Los Angeles, where my parents were living at the time, but spent my formative years in Damascus. I attended Boston University where I got my BS and MEng in Mechanical and Manufacturing... View Details

Web

Research - Private Capital Project

period 1940–2014, we document the following evidence that corporate debt plays a key role in explaining boom-bust cycles, financial crises, and slow... September 2023 Case Blackstone Credit and Delaware Basin Resources By: Victoria Ivashina and View Details

April 2022
Case

Pear Venture Capital

By: Jo Tango and Alys Ferragamo

Keith Bender, Principal at Pear Venture Capital, is working over the weekend to prepare for a Monday morning investment meeting. He has three startup pitch decks in front of him, and he must choose one to recommend at the meeting. He finds that each company has its... View Details

Keywords: Seed Investing; Seed Financing; Startup; Decision Choices and Conditions; Presentations; Business Startups; Investment; Venture Capital; United States

February 2023 (Revised May 2023)
Case

CalPERS Private Equity 2.0

By: Josh Lerner, John D. Dionne and Alys Ferragamo

Yup Kim, the Head of Investments, Private Equity at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), reflected on the pension fund’s private equity strategy. In July of 2022, the fund was in the midst of a multi-year turnaround strategy with the goal to... View Details

Keywords: Private Equity; Investment Portfolio; Retirement; Leadership; Strategy; Public Sector

March 2021
Case

Yale Investments Office: November 2020

By: Josh Lerner, Jo Tango and Alys Ferragamo

David Swensen and the Investments Office staff must decide whether to continue to allocate the bulk of the university's endowment to illiquid investments—hedge funds, private equity, venture capital, real estate, natural resources—given the impact of the COVID-19... View Details

Keywords: University Endowment; Asset Allocation; Real Estate; Equities; Fixed Income; COVID-19; Asset Management; Private Equity; Venture Capital; Natural Resources; Resource Allocation; Investment; Investment Portfolio; Health Pandemics; Financial Crisis; Financial Services Industry; Real Estate Industry; Energy Industry; Connecticut

June 2021
Case

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments): April 2021

By: Josh Lerner, Reza Satchu and Alys Ferragamo

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) is one of the largest pools of investment capital in the world and follows a rigorous “Total Portfolio Framework” in its approach to investment management. In April of 2021, John Graham was just two months into his role... View Details

Keywords: Pension Funds; Investment Strategy; Capital Markets; Financial Strategy; Investment; Asset Management; Financial Institutions; Private Equity; Growth and Development Strategy; Investment Portfolio; Assets; Financial Markets; Financial Services Industry; Canada

Web

Winners & Runners-Up | New Venture Competition

community. Ghonsla Emmanuel Arnaud, HBS Monica Hau Le Zehra Ali Mubarik Imam Social Enterprise Track Runner-Up Straw-based insulation products designed especially for corrugated galvanized iron roofs in the earthquake affected areas of... View Details

March 2022 (Revised November 2024)
Case

Aldrich Capital Partners

By: Jo Tango and Alys Ferragamo

By July 2016, the Aldrich Capital Partners team had spent over two years trying to raise their inaugural growth-equity fund. They had pitched to over 140 investors, but none had committed. Managing Partners Mirza Baig and Raz Zia each had extensive experience in the... View Details

Keywords: Growth Equity; Investment Evaluation; Entrepreneurship; Private Equity; Investment; Strategy; Decision Making; United States

05 Feb 2018
What Do You Think?

Should Companies Disclose Employee Compensation?

compensation data could lead to a different method in solving certain situations such as pay discrepancy " As Ali put it, "Why companies find it so difficult to talk salary when our government is so open on what each employee is... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Financial Services

July 2021
Case

Bessemer Venture Partners: Century Fund

By: Jo Tango and Alys Ferragamo

In July of 2021, Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP) contemplated the future of its growth investing practice, known as “Century.” While still relatively new as a focused initiative, BVP’s growth investing already had significant momentum. The fund’s investment pace had... View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Financial Institutions; Growth and Development Strategy; Investment Banking; Competitive Strategy; Public Sector; Venture Capital; Private Equity; Acquisition

Web

AASU50 - Alumni

Ali Palmer, MBA 2008 Erin Patten, MBA 2015 Derek Powell, AMP 183, 2012 Ken Powell, MBA 1974 Kevin Releford, MBA 2002 Martin Rodgers, MBA 1997 Demetriouse Russell, MBA 1998 Bereket Selassie MBA 2002 Douglass Selby, MBA 1990 Randy S.... View Details

August 2021
Case

Apax Digital

By: Jo Tango and Alys Ferragamo

The Apax Digital team faced important decisions as they contemplated raising a second fund. Apax Digital Fund I was a $1.1 billion vehicle focused on mid-market growth equity and growth buyouts in the technology sector. The fund had performed well, and the Managing... View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Acquisition; Investment Portfolio; Decision Choices and Conditions; Venture Capital; Technology Industry; Financial Services Industry; United States