Filter Results:
(820)
Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(1,533)
- People (1)
- News (396)
- Research (820)
- Events (5)
- Multimedia (1)
- Faculty Publications (582)
Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(1,533)
- People (1)
- News (396)
- Research (820)
- Events (5)
- Multimedia (1)
- Faculty Publications (582)
Sort by
- 15 Dec 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
Biased Sampling of Early Users and the Direction of Startup Innovation
- October 2016 (Revised October 2023)
- Case
Bootstrapping at Lightricks
By: Robert White, Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Christine Snively
By August 2015, two-year-old mobile imaging software startup Lightricks had developed and released two best-selling paid mobile apps, grown to a team of 30, earned a revenue run rate of nearly $10 million, and achieved modest profitability. The bootstrapped company had... View Details
Keywords: Business Startup; Information Technology; Internet and the Web; Entrepreneurship; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Information Infrastructure; Business Startups; Digital Marketing; Finance; Strategy; Technology Industry; Israel
White, Robert, Jeffrey J. Bussgang, and Christine Snively. "Bootstrapping at Lightricks." Harvard Business School Case 817-051, October 2016. (Revised October 2023.)
- January 2018 (Revised May 2019)
- Case
Adeo Health Science: Turning a Product into a Brand
By: Elizabeth A. Keenan and Jill Avery
For decades, American parents were warned to avoid introducing potential allergens to their babies prior to their first birthday. But two influential clinical studies caused the medical establishment to radically reverse its position. Parents were now warned that... View Details
Keywords: Startup; Health Care; Consumer; Consumer Products; Branding; Distribution; Retailing; Go To Market Strategy; Marketing; Marketing Channels; Marketing Communications; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Health Care and Treatment; Consumer Products Industry; Health Industry; United States; North America
Keenan, Elizabeth A., and Jill Avery. "Adeo Health Science: Turning a Product into a Brand." Harvard Business School Case 518-065, January 2018. (Revised May 2019.)
- 27 Mar 2019
- Cold Call Podcast
Will Startup Fishbowl Become the Social Media App for Your Industry?
- 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.
- November 2011 (Revised December 2012)
- Case
Rent the Runway
By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Laura Winig
Two months after a successful launch in November 2009, the cofounders of Rent the Runway (RTR), a website that rented designer dresses, are debating whether to grow their startup at a measured pace and focus on improving operational effectiveness, or raise a new round... View Details
Keywords: Lean Startup; Electronic Commerce; Fashion; Expansion; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; E-commerce; Fashion Industry
Eisenmann, Thomas R., and Laura Winig. "Rent the Runway." Harvard Business School Case 812-077, November 2011. (Revised December 2012.)
- April 2004 (Revised May 2006)
- Background Note
Achieving Profitable Growth and Market Value
By: James L. Heskett and Richard G. Hamermesh
Provides an overview of how a new venture needs to change as it passes from the initial start-up to the growth phase. Explores how a venture's leadership, strategy, and execution need to evolve to deal with rapid growth. View Details
Heskett, James L., and Richard G. Hamermesh. "Achieving Profitable Growth and Market Value." Harvard Business School Background Note 804-157, April 2004. (Revised May 2006.)
- February 2023
- Case
Nexus Market (A): Ukraine War Ripples into Silicon Valley
By: Tsedal Neeley and Jeff Huizinga
A Silicon Valley start-up executive must navigate tensions between its Ukrainian and Russian sub-contractors as war between the two countries rages. After war erupts between Ukraine and Russia, a team of subcontracted Ukrainian software developers threatens to cut ties... View Details
Keywords: International Relations; Problems and Challenges; Conflict and Resolution; Technology Industry; United States
Neeley, Tsedal, and Jeff Huizinga. "Nexus Market (A): Ukraine War Ripples into Silicon Valley." Harvard Business School Case 423-024, February 2023.
- 2009
- Case
Innovamedica: Innovation in an Emerging Market
By: Roberto Charvel, Fernando Fabre and T. Putimahtama
Innovamedica was a medical start up with several state of the art devices such as a silicon substitute heart and other inventions. However, the founding scientist was struggling in attracting talent and fundraising and that had an impact on growth. View Details
Keywords: Biotech; Entrepreneurial Finance; Entrepreneurship; Start-up; Emergent Countries; Business Startups; Talent and Talent Management; Design; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Private Equity; Health Testing and Trials; Innovation and Invention; Managerial Roles; Biotechnology Industry; Latin America; North and Central America
Charvel, Roberto, Fernando Fabre, and T. Putimahtama. "Innovamedica: Innovation in an Emerging Market." Instituto Panamericano de Alta Dirección de Empresa (IPADE) Case (P)DGe-440, 2009.
- November 2017 (Revised October 2018)
- Case
Brandless: Disrupting Consumer Packaged Goods
By: Jill Avery
Brandless, an online direct-to-consumer seller of upscale private-label consumer packaged goods, offered consumers a limited assortment of values-conscious products delivered directly to their homes with the simplicity of one fixed $3 price point that promised an... View Details
Keywords: Brand; Brand Management; Retailing; Retailing Industry; Private Label; Direct To Consumer Marketing; Ecommerce; Digital Marketing; Consumer Packaged Goods; Startup; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Disruption; Food; Product Marketing; Marketing Channels; Consumer Behavior; Brands and Branding; Venture Capital; E-commerce; Consumer Products Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Retail Industry; United States; North America
Avery, Jill. "Brandless: Disrupting Consumer Packaged Goods." Harvard Business School Case 518-044, November 2017. (Revised October 2018.)
- December 2021 (Revised May 2022)
- Case
Troverie (A)
By: Thomas R. Eisenmann, Lindsay N. Hyde and Olivia Graham
Six months after the August 2018 launch of Troverie, a U.S.-based online retailer of luxury watches, the average cost of acquiring a customer is much higher than originally projected, and the startup is incurring a substantial loss on each sales transaction. Could... View Details
Keywords: Startup; Luxury Goods; Customer Acquisition; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Luxury; Failure; Internet and the Web; Revenue; Fashion Industry; United States
Eisenmann, Thomas R., Lindsay N. Hyde, and Olivia Graham. "Troverie (A)." Harvard Business School Case 822-068, December 2021. (Revised May 2022.)
- January 2019 (Revised October 2019)
- Case
Glossier: Co-Creating a Cult Brand with a Digital Community
By: Jill Avery
Glossier’s proclaimed strategy was “born from content; fueled by community.” The digital-first, direct-to-consumer beauty brand had experienced rapid growth, with sales up 600% in 2017 and a customer portfolio that grew by threefold. But, its founder, Emily Weiss, was... View Details
Keywords: Brands; Brand Management; Brand Communication; Retailing; DTC; Influencer; Startup; Internet Marketing; Big Data; Crowdsourcing; Growth and Development Strategy; Social Media; E-commerce; Internet and the Web; Digital Marketing; Consumer Products Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Retail Industry; United States; North America
Avery, Jill. "Glossier: Co-Creating a Cult Brand with a Digital Community." Harvard Business School Case 519-022, January 2019. (Revised October 2019.)
- September 2019 (Revised May 2020)
- Case
Keroche (A): Fighting for Share in the Kenyan Alcoholic Drinks Market
By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Pippa Tubman Armerding
This case discusses the challenges faced by Kenyan alcoholic drinks producer Keroche Industries Limited in 2003, when the Kenyan government accused the company of manufacturing and selling substandard alcoholic drinks, revoked its liquor licenses, and shut down its... View Details
Keywords: Keroche; Alcohol; Wine; Manufacturing; Informal Market; Regulation; Illicit; Illegal; Shutdown; Factory; Low-income Consumers; Multinational; Local; Government; Allegations; Accusations; Negative Press; EABL; Tusker; Beer; SAB; Chang'aa; Naivasha; Rift Valley; East Africa; Lawsuit; Legal Battle; Business Ventures; Business Exit or Shutdown; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Startups; Production; Safety; Quality; Distribution; Small Business; Family Business; Crime and Corruption; Customer Focus and Relationships; Decisions; Income; Demographics; Geographic Scope; Geographic Location; Goods and Commodities; Government Legislation; Growth and Development; Business History; Lawsuits and Litigation; Laws and Statutes; Lawfulness; Goals and Objectives; Consumer Behavior; Market Entry and Exit; Problems and Challenges; Social Issues; Poverty; Strategy; Competition; Entrepreneurship; Manufacturing Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Kenya; Nairobi; Africa
Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon, and Pippa Tubman Armerding. "Keroche (A): Fighting for Share in the Kenyan Alcoholic Drinks Market." Harvard Business School Case 720-390, September 2019. (Revised May 2020.)
- 2017
- Working Paper
The Need for Speed: Effects of Uncertainty Reduction in Patenting
By: Mike Horia Teodorescu
Patents are essential in commerce to establish property rights for ideas and to give equal protection to firms that develop new technologies. Young firms especially depend on the protection of intellectual property to bring a product from concept to market. However,... View Details
- December 2018
- Supplement
iyzico: Fundraising in Emerging Markets (B)
By: Marco Di Maggio and Gamze Yucaoglu
The case opens in July 2016 as Barbaros Ozbugutu, co-founder and CEO of the Istanbul-based payment technology start-up iyzico, contemplates the pros and cons of the different term sheets the company has received for its Series C round. The case then informs the reader... View Details
Keywords: Iyzico; Fundraising; Business Startups; Venture Capital; Emerging Markets; Negotiation Offer; Decision Choices and Conditions
Di Maggio, Marco, and Gamze Yucaoglu. "iyzico: Fundraising in Emerging Markets (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 219-065, December 2018.
- March 2025
- Case
Mobvoi's Path Through Market Challenges and Business Reinvention
By: Paul A. Gompers and Shu Lin
Founded in 2012, Mobvoi evolved through multiple transformations—from AI-driven voice technology to smart wearables and later AI-generated content. Backed by major investors, the company navigated shifts in strategy while facing two failed IPO attempts. As market... View Details
Keywords: Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; AI and Machine Learning; Transformation; Initial Public Offering; Business Strategy; Technology Industry; China
Gompers, Paul A., and Shu Lin. "Mobvoi's Path Through Market Challenges and Business Reinvention." Harvard Business School Case 825-158, March 2025.
- September 1992
- Case
Star Cablevision Group (A): Harvesting in a Bull Market
First case in a series of six cases that follow the experience of a cable television company as it adjusts to the rapid rise and precipitous decline of the stock market in the late 1980s. In this case Don Jones, the company's founder and owner, sees the rise in public... View Details
Keywords: Behavioral Finance; Financial Markets; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Restructuring; Corporate Strategy; SWOT Analysis; Wealth; Business Cycles; Entertainment and Recreation Industry
Sahlman, William A. "Star Cablevision Group (A): Harvesting in a Bull Market." Harvard Business School Case 293-036, September 1992.
- June 2008
- Case
From xiaonei to hainei: The Quest for the Social Networking Service Market in China
By: Joseph B. Lassiter III, Michael Shih-Ta Chen and Keith Chi-ho Wong
Wang Xing, the founder of Hainei.com, one of the fastest growing social networking service (SNS) providers in China, was preparing to raise funds from venture capitalists. Since late 2003, Wang had established several Internet startups in China. Xiaonei.com, which he... View Details
Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Social and Collaborative Networks; Competition; Internet; China
Lassiter, Joseph B., III, Michael Shih-Ta Chen, and Keith Chi-ho Wong. "From xiaonei to hainei: The Quest for the Social Networking Service Market in China." Harvard Business School Case 808-164, June 2008.
- 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
- November 2016 (Revised October 2018)
- Case
IguanaFix
By: Frank V. Cespedes, Thomas R. Eisenmann, Maria Fernanda Miguel and Laura Urdapilleta
IguanaFix is a rapidly scaling Latin American startup that provides an online platform connecting consumers with home improvement contractors. The founders have acquired customers through both B2C and B2B methods. But in seeking to grow and scale the business, they now... View Details
Keywords: Entrepreneurial Marketing; Home Improvement Services; Marketing Management; Scaling; Entrepreneurship; Marketing; Sales; Online Advertising; Latin America
Cespedes, Frank V., Thomas R. Eisenmann, Maria Fernanda Miguel, and Laura Urdapilleta. "IguanaFix." Harvard Business School Case 817-056, November 2016. (Revised October 2018.)