• June 2020
• Case

Career Karma: Growth in a Time of Global Uncertainty (A)

By: Laura Huang, Elizabeth Jiang and Brandon Yu

Career Karma is a startup focused on helping individuals looking to transition careers into computer engineering roles or similar fields by preparing them for formal technical training programs, or “coding bootcamps,” that would lead to a successful career pivot upon... View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Plan; Business Startups; Education; Training; Entrepreneurship; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Social Entrepreneurship; Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Growth Management; Marketing Strategy; Organizations; Mission and Purpose; Personal Development and Career; Health Pandemics; Technology Industry; Education Industry; Employment Industry

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Huang, Laura, Elizabeth Jiang, and Brandon Yu. "Career Karma: Growth in a Time of Global Uncertainty (A)." Harvard Business School Case 420-121, June 2020.

• December 2020
• Supplement

Video Interview with Maxeme Tuchman

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Joyce J. Kim

Four diverse women entrepreneurs launched their ventures in a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem that was part of a shift to a creative technology-driven economy for Miami. Although Miami was rated the #1 U.S. city for startups in 2017, the region contained structural... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurial Ecosystems; Female Entrepreneur; Racism; Sexism; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Diversity; Gender; Race; Prejudice and Bias; City; Culture; Miami

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Kanter, Rosabeth M., and Joyce J. Kim. "Video Interview with Maxeme Tuchman." Harvard Business School Multimedia/Video Supplement 321-702, December 2020.

• 13 May 2014
• First Look

First Look: May 13

  Publications August 2013 Harvard Business Review From Purpose to Impact: Figure Out Your Passion and Put It to Work By: Craig, Nick, and Scott Snook Abstract—We offer opinions on leadership. A need is seen for executives to have a... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

William A. Sahlman

William Sahlman is a Baker Foundation Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School.

Mr. Sahlman received an A.B. degree in Economics from Princeton University (1972), an M.B.A. from Harvard University (1975), and a Ph.D. in Business... View Details

Keywords: airline; beverage; biotechnology; broadcasting; clothing; communications; computer; consumer products; e-commerce industry; education industry; electronics; energy; entertainment; fiber optics; financial services; food processing; furniture; grocery; health care; high technology; hotels ＆ motels; information; information technology industry; internet; investment banking industry; management consulting; manufacturing; marketing industry; medical supplies; motorcycles; nonprofit industry; pharmaceuticals; professional services; publishing industry; real estate; recreation; restaurant; retailing; semiconductor; service industry; soft drink; software; telecommunications; toy; transportation; travel; venture capital industry; video games

• January 2025
• Case

Untapped Global: Financing Africa’s Missing Middle

By: Raymond Kluender and Emanuele Colonnelli

In November 2024, Jim Chu, founder and CEO of Untapped Global, faced mounting internal tensions over the company’s strategic direction. Untapped had developed a data-driven revenue-based financing (RBF) model to address the “missing middle” problem—the $5.2 trillion... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Social Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Working Capital; Private Equity; Financial Strategy; Microfinance; International Finance; Currency Exchange Rate; Profit Sharing; Revenue; Developing Countries and Economies; Economic Growth; Banking Industry; Financial Services Industry; Information Technology Industry; Technology Industry; Africa; Nigeria; South Africa; Kenya; Uganda; California; San Francisco

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Kluender, Raymond, and Emanuele Colonnelli. "Untapped Global: Financing Africa’s Missing Middle." Harvard Business School Case 825-056, January 2025.

• June 2019
• Case

Monetizing Insurance at Trov

By: Thales Teixeira, Samy Dana and Leandro A Guissoni

Trov is a disruptive startup in the insurance space (“insurtech”). It allows consumers to simply turn on and turn off insurance for each of their possessions on a mobile app with the swipe of a finger. Consumers love the simple, on-demand, single-item coverage product.... View Details

Keywords: Monetization; Decoupling; Business Startups; Insurance; Disruption; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Strategy; Insurance Industry

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Teixeira, Thales, Samy Dana, and Leandro A Guissoni. "Monetizing Insurance at Trov." Harvard Business School Case 519-082, June 2019.

• 2017
• Working Paper

Cost of Experimentation and the Evolution of Venture Capital

By: Michael Ewens, Ramana Nanda and Matthew Rhodes-Kropf

We study how technological shocks to the cost of starting new businesses have led the venture capital model to adapt in fundamental ways over the prior decade. We both document and provide a framework to understand the changes in the investment strategy of VCs in... View Details

Keywords: Innovation; Investing; Abandonment Option; Technological Innovation; Venture Capital; Entrepreneurship; Investment

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Ewens, Michael, Ramana Nanda, and Matthew Rhodes-Kropf. "Cost of Experimentation and the Evolution of Venture Capital." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 15-070, February 2015. (Revised March 2017, Forthcoming in the Journal of Financial Economics.)

• March 2017
• Teaching Note

Showpad

By: Frank Cespedes

Showpad is a startup that provides a sales enablement platform and tools. The venture has grown 100% annually since its founding four years ago, and the founders are evaluating growth options and decisions in three areas: adding product features, possible pricing... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; Sales

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Cespedes, Frank. "Showpad." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 817-121, March 2017.

• October 2020 (Revised April 2021)
• Case

Women Entrepreneurs and Tech Ecosystems: One City, Two Realities, and Four Diverse Women

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Joyce J. Kim

Four diverse women entrepreneurs launched their ventures in a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem that was part of a shift to a creative technology-driven economy for Miami. Although Miami was rated the #1 U.S. city for startups in 2017, the region contained structural... View Details

Keywords: Female Entrepreneur; Entrepreneurial Ecosystems; Inclusion; Innovation ＆ Entrepreneurship; Racism; Sexism; Start-up; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Diversity; Gender; Race; Prejudice and Bias; Innovation and Invention; City; Culture; Miami

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Kanter, Rosabeth Moss, and Joyce J. Kim. "Women Entrepreneurs and Tech Ecosystems: One City, Two Realities, and Four Diverse Women." Harvard Business School Case 321-083, October 2020. (Revised April 2021.)

• October 2011 (Revised September 2014)
• Case

Moda Operandi: A New Style of Fashion Retail

By: Mukti Khaire

Moda Operandi is a startup in the fashion industry. The firm organizes online trunk shows of designers' collections, allowing its members to directly order clothes from the collections shown in Fashion Weeks all over the world. Moda Operandi conveys the preorders to... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Distribution Channels; Internet and the Web; Design; Fashion Industry; Retail Industry

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Khaire, Mukti. "Moda Operandi: A New Style of Fashion Retail." Harvard Business School Case 812-040, October 2011. (Revised September 2014.)

• February 2024
• Case

Vespucci Partners: The New World of Venture Capital in Hungary

By: Paul A. Gompers, Tonia Labruyere and Emilie Billaud

Julia Sohajda was the young, female founding partner of the Hungarian VC firm Vespucci Partners, which focused on investing at seed stage into Hungarian deep tech startups and prepare them for a launch in the U.S market. Vespucci's first fund had largely been comprised... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Business Startups; Investment Funds; Financing and Loans; Entrepreneurship; Financial Services Industry; Hungary; United States

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Gompers, Paul A., Tonia Labruyere, and Emilie Billaud. "Vespucci Partners: The New World of Venture Capital in Hungary." Harvard Business School Case 824-138, February 2024.

• May 2012 (Revised October 2012)
• Supplement

H-Soft (B-2): Vikram Sharma

By: Ramana Nanda

Siddharth Kapoor, the Founder and CEO of H-Soft Mumbai, reflected on his meetings as he walked out of VC Ventures' offices in Mumbai. After a few months of intensely pitching his startup to several different investors, he finally had a term sheet in hand. Despite this... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurial Finance; Venture Capital Term Sheet; India; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Venture Capital; Investment; Contracts; Partners and Partnerships; India

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Nanda, Ramana. "H-Soft (B-2): Vikram Sharma." Harvard Business School Supplement 812-170, May 2012. (Revised October 2012.)