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- All HBS Web
(1,933)
- People (5)
- News (439)
- Research (1,021)
- Events (7)
- Multimedia (3)
- Faculty Publications (775)
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- July 2002 (Revised August 2003)
- Case
EXP Systems
By: Malcolm S. Salter and Alison Berkley Wagonfeld
Discusses selecting investors and avoiding board-level conflicts of interest in start-ups. Using the "term sheet" in third-round financing as a negotiation over future governance and control rights. A rewritten version of an earlier case. View Details
Keywords: Conflict of Interests; Governance Controls; Governing and Advisory Boards; Business Startups; Management Teams
Salter, Malcolm S., and Alison Berkley Wagonfeld. "EXP Systems." Harvard Business School Case 903-022, July 2002. (Revised August 2003.)
- 14 Jan 2014
- First Look
First Look: January 14
help-friendly organization has to be actively nurtured, however, because helpfulness among colleagues does not arise automatically: competition, pride, or distrust may get in the way. The trickiness of this management challenge-to... View Details
Keywords: Sean Silverthorne
- February 1978
- Case
Sierra Log Homes, Inc. (A)
Describes the history and evolution of the log home manufacturing industry, a rapidly growing embryonic industry capitalizing on the back-to-basics lifestyle changes in the United States. Focuses on one of the leading firms in the industry, but allows a discussion of... View Details
Keywords: Business or Company Management; Change Management; Industry Structures; Supply and Industry; Problems and Challenges; Business Startups; Business Strategy; Manufacturing Industry; United States
Porter, Michael E. "Sierra Log Homes, Inc. (A)." Harvard Business School Case 378-195, February 1978.
- November 2010
- Article
Beyond the Deal: Wage a 'Negotiation Campaign'
While negotiation scholars primarily take the individual transaction as the "unit of analysis," this article characterizes the (new) concept of a "negotiation campaign" in which a number of individual deals must be put together, often on multiple "fronts," to realize a... View Details
Keywords: Negotiation Deal; Management Practices and Processes; Value; Problems and Challenges; Business Startups; Sales; Partners and Partnerships; Venture Capital
Sebenius, James K. "Beyond the Deal: Wage a 'Negotiation Campaign'." Negotiation 13, no. 11 (November 2010).
- December 2018 (Revised June 2021)
- Supplement
Bulb 2018: Hypergrowth
By: John R. Wells and Benjamin Weinstock
After a wild and volatile year, Bulb, a new entrant in the UK residential energy market, ended March 2018 with 329,171 properties, 1.2% of the total residential energy market). This was 150% ahead of a plan for 130,000 properties and almost ten times the size the... View Details
Keywords: Rapid Growth Stage; Green Energy; Start-up; Customer Acquisition; Customer Churn; Customer Engagement; Electricity; Resources; Growth Strategy; B-Corp; Entrepreneurial Finance; Entrepreneurial Journey; Entrepreneurial Financing; Renewable Energy; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Model; Working Capital; Customers; Growth Management; Finance; Decision Making; United Kingdom
Wells, John R., and Benjamin Weinstock. "Bulb 2018: Hypergrowth." Harvard Business School Supplement 719-442, December 2018. (Revised June 2021.)
- June 2018
- Case
Meridian Systems
By: Frank V. Cespedes and Michael J. Roberts
The Meridian Systems case focuses on a start-up in the restaurant point of sale (POS) systems market. In early 2018, Meridian is getting ready to roll out a POS system based on a new technology—a tablet-based, Wi-Fi-enabled POS system (the "tablet" system, or... View Details
Keywords: Business Startups; Sales; Strategy; Salesforce Management; Organizational Structure; Technological Innovation; Marketing Strategy
Cespedes, Frank V., and Michael J. Roberts. "Meridian Systems." Harvard Business School Brief Case 918-533, June 2018.
- February 2013
- Case
18 Months in a Startup: Zaggora.com
By: Tom Nicholas
The founders of Zaggora reflected back on a tumultuous year-and-a-half in which they had generated, from just $40,000 in personal savings, a multi-million dollar sportswear enterprise selling Hotpants to women. These were hotpants not of the 1960s hipster variety, but... View Details
Keywords: Internet and the Web; Growth Management; Problems and Challenges; Business Startups; Brands and Branding; Innovation and Invention; Corporate Finance; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Sports Industry
Nicholas, Tom. "18 Months in a Startup: Zaggora.com." Harvard Business School Case 813-140, February 2013.
- January 2019 (Revised July 2021)
- Case
Analytical Space: The Next Frontier?
By: Thomas R. Eisenmann, Jeffrey J. Bussgang and David Lane
With one satellite aloft and in the midst of beta testing in late 2018, Analytical Space founders Justin Oliveira and Dan Nevius turned to critical questions about the pioneering startup’s go-to-market, pricing, and business development strategy. Analytical Space aimed... View Details
Keywords: Pricing Decisions; Demand Validation; Revenue Model; Business Development; Space Tech; Satellites; Earth Observation; Remote Sensing; Business Startups; Emerging Markets; Growth and Development Strategy; Finance; Selection and Staffing; Business Strategy; Aerospace Industry
Eisenmann, Thomas R., Jeffrey J. Bussgang, and David Lane. "Analytical Space: The Next Frontier?" Harvard Business School Case 819-089, January 2019. (Revised July 2021.)
- December 1996 (Revised June 1998)
- Case
Midnight Networks, Inc.
By: H. Kent Bowen and Marilyn Matis
Midnight Networks, Inc., is a small computer network validation company. This case describes how the five founders built their business from operations earnings and how they established "best practices" operational processes to run their firm successfully. Operational... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Entrepreneurship; Business or Company Management; Operations; Organizational Culture; Applications and Software; Business Startups; Business Growth and Maturation; Information Technology Industry; Massachusetts
Bowen, H. Kent, and Marilyn Matis. "Midnight Networks, Inc." Harvard Business School Case 697-019, December 1996. (Revised June 1998.)
- July 2008 (Revised December 2011)
- Case
ghSMART & Co., 2006: Pioneering in Professional Services
By: Noam T. Wasserman and Ashraf Haque
Geoff Smart, founder and CEO of ghSMART & Co., wanted to build ghSMART into the #1 management-assessment firm for CEOs and investors. However, he had just received two pieces of very bad news: the demise of an existing project and the loss of a $1 million engagement he... View Details
Keywords: Business Startups; Decision Choices and Conditions; Entrepreneurship; Corporate Governance; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Structure; Service Industry
Wasserman, Noam T., and Ashraf Haque. "ghSMART & Co., 2006: Pioneering in Professional Services." Harvard Business School Case 809-024, July 2008. (Revised December 2011.)
- September 2019 (Revised May 2020)
- Supplement
Keroche (D): Transforming the Core Business
By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Pippa Tubman Armerding
This case describes Keroche co-founder Tabitha Karanja’s decision to exit the wine business following the Kenyan government’s 2007 increase in excise taxes on wine. In August 2007, Keroche introduced the vodka drink Viena Ice as a replacement for its fortified wines,... View Details
Keywords: Keroche; Alcohol; Alcoholic Beverages; Alcoholic Drinks; Beverages; Drinks; Wine Industry; Wine; Fortified Wine; Viena; Viena Ice; Beer; Beer Market; Premium Beer; Manufacturing; Summit Lager; Business Ventures; Business Exit or Shutdown; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Startups; 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; Safety; Social Issues; Poverty; Strategy; Competition; Manufacturing Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Kenya; Nairobi; Africa
Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon, and Pippa Tubman Armerding. "Keroche (D): Transforming the Core Business." Harvard Business School Supplement 720-393, September 2019. (Revised May 2020.)
- September 2019 (Revised May 2020)
- Supplement
Keroche (C): The Excise Tax Increase
By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Pippa Tubman Armerding
This case discusses the Kenyan government’s decision to increase excise taxes on wines in 2007. The tax increase would cause an average increase in price of 367% on Keroche’s fortified wines. Meanwhile, Keroche’s competitor EABL had effectively lobbied the government... View Details
Keywords: Keroche; Alcohol; Alcoholic Drinks; Alcoholic Beverages; Beverages; Drinks; Wine Industry; Wine; Fortified Wine; Business Ventures; Business Exit or Shutdown; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Startups; 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; Safety; Social Issues; Poverty; Strategy; Competition; Entrepreneurship; Manufacturing Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Kenya; Nairobi; Africa
Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon, and Pippa Tubman Armerding. "Keroche (C): The Excise Tax Increase." Harvard Business School Supplement 720-392, September 2019. (Revised May 2020.)
- December 2012 (Revised September 2022)
- Case
BabbaCo
By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Gaurav Jain
Having just raised a Series B financing, the case protagonist is faced with a tough decision: should she "step on the gas" and scale the customer base, or continue focusing on fine-tuning the product and business model. The case describes the various marketing channels... View Details
Keywords: Subscription; Marketing; Scaling; Product-market Fit; Online Marketing; Customers; Decisions; Expansion; Marketing Channels; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; Digital Marketing; Marketing Strategy
Bussgang, Jeffrey J., and Gaurav Jain. "BabbaCo." Harvard Business School Case 813-107, December 2012. (Revised September 2022.)
- June 1997 (Revised October 2001)
- Case
Elliot Lebowitz
By: Paul A. Gompers and Alexander Tsai
Elliot Lebowitz, president and CEO of BioTransplant, must decide on a strategy for this young biotechnology start-up. Among the issues to be resolved are focus of research and search for strategic alliance partners. View Details
Keywords: Alliances; Research; Business Startups; Management Teams; Business Strategy; Biotechnology Industry; United States
Gompers, Paul A., and Alexander Tsai. "Elliot Lebowitz." Harvard Business School Case 297-094, June 1997. (Revised October 2001.)
- January–February 2023
- Article
The Overlooked Key to a Successful Scale-Up
By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Davide Sola and Martin Kupp
Many start-ups experience enormous popularity and runaway growth, but only a few go on to become stable giants. What separates them from the pack? They all go through a developmental stage called extrapolation, say three business school professors.
View Details
Keywords: Entrepreneurship And Strategy; Scalability; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; Entrepreneurship
Rayport, Jeffrey F., Davide Sola, and Martin Kupp. "The Overlooked Key to a Successful Scale-Up." Harvard Business Review (January–February 2023): 56–65.
- April 2025
- Case
Breezm: Innovative 3D-Printed Eyewear (A)
By: Juan Alcácer, Brian Mao Fu and Adina Wong
In 2023, Breezm, a South Korean startup, faced a strategic decision about how to grow its innovative 3D-printed, custom-fit eyewear business. Co-founded in 2017 by Zenma Park and Wooseok Sung, Breezm combined facial scanning, AI, and in-house production to solve the... View Details
Keywords: 3D Printing; Eyeyewear; Growth; Business Startups; AI and Machine Learning; Technological Innovation; Growth and Development Strategy; Risk and Uncertainty; Expansion; South Korea
Alcácer, Juan, Brian Mao Fu, and Adina Wong. "Breezm: Innovative 3D-Printed Eyewear (A)." Harvard Business School Case 725-376, April 2025.
- 2011
- Working Paper
The First Deal: The Division of Founder Equity in New Ventures
By: Thomas F. Hellmann and Noam Wasserman
This paper examines the division of founder shares in entrepreneurial ventures, focusing on the decision of whether or not to divide the shares equally among all founders. To motivate the empirical analysis we develop a simple theory of costly bargaining, where... View Details
Keywords: Business Startups; Decision Choices and Conditions; Entrepreneurship; Fairness; Equity; Managerial Roles; Negotiation Deal; Ownership Stake; Value
Hellmann, Thomas F., and Noam Wasserman. "The First Deal: The Division of Founder Equity in New Ventures." NBER Working Paper Series, No. 16922, April 2011.
- November 2001
- Case
Korea-Tender
By: Das Narayandas and Kate Attea
Korea-Tender is a closed-bidding auction company trying to break even and must select the best opportunity to increase membership and revenue. It can continue its current model with heavy advertising, try to modify its costs, or develop an additional business model... View Details
- 10 Apr 2019
- HBS Case
How Entrepreneurs Can Turn Lead Into Gold
the Academy of Management Annals. Their conclusion: Far too much focus is placed on raising money and signing formal contracts, but far too little attention on informal and non-financial resources that can make or break a new business.... View Details
- July 2000 (Revised June 2002)
- Case
Dawn Riley at America True (A)
By: Linda A. Hill and Kristin Doughty
Dawn Riley is the CEO/Captain of America True, the first coed syndicate to race for the America's Cup. Over three years, based on her vision for America True, she built the syndicate from scratch, bringing on investors and sponsors, designing and building a boat, and... View Details
Keywords: Management Style; Leadership; Problems and Challenges; Sports; Gender; Business Startups; North and Central America; New Zealand; San Francisco
Hill, Linda A., and Kristin Doughty. "Dawn Riley at America True (A)." Harvard Business School Case 401-006, July 2000. (Revised June 2002.)