Publications

26 Mar 2020
Blog Post

The Road Untraveled: VC Perspectives on COVID-19

Brian Hollins (MBA 2021) spent six years at Goldman Sachs prior to HBS focused on venture capital and growth equity investing for the firm. He will be joining Lightspeed Venture Partners this summer, and is... View Details

December 2008 (Revised February 2011)
Case

Evan Williams: From Blogger to Odeo (A)

By: Noam T. Wasserman and Louis-Philippe Maurice

For several months, founder-CEO Evan Williams has felt trapped, unable to control Odeo and its strategic direction. He longs for the "simple" days of Blogger, the previous venture he had co-founded. Although his Blogger experiences had included a major blow-up with his... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Startups; Decision Choices and Conditions; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Information Technology Industry

April 2001 (Revised July 2001)
Case

Zaplet, Inc.

By: Dorothy A. Leonard and Brian DeLacey

Start-up Zaplet, Inc., has radical software, prestigious venture capital funding, and a multitude of business opportunities. New CEO Alan Baratz must select a strategy and redesign the organization to deliver. This case describes the roles and philosophies of the... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Entrepreneurship; Business or Company Management; Information Technology; Organizational Design; Venture Capital; Valuation; Business Strategy; Restructuring; Expansion; Product Development; Innovation Strategy; Human Resources; Information Technology Industry; California

March 2014
Background Note

VCPE Simulation User's Guide

By: Matthew Rhodes-Kropf and Nathaniel Burbank

This user guide is intended for HBS students and ExEd participants who are using the Private Equity and Venture Capital Simulation. View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Private Equity

January 2024 (Revised May 2024)
Case

Runa

By: Paul Gompers and Carla Larangeira

In early 2022, Courtney McColgan, founder and CEO of Runa, a human resources and payroll Software-as-a-Service platform, faced an unexpected tech market downturn. Founded in 2018, Runa catered to small and medium-sized businesses in Mexico, offering an affordable and... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Volatility; Entrepreneurship; Decision Making; Leadership; Management; Venture Capital; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Business Growth and Maturation; Latin America

February 2005 (Revised November 2005)
Case

SAIF: May 2004

By: G. Felda Hardymon and Ann Leamon

The Softbank Asia Infrastructure Fund (SAIF) team has just learned that the price at which its portfolio company, the Chinese gaming firm Shanda, was planning to go public must be reduced. As a result, the partners think through the entire genesis of the deal and the... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Investment; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Initial Public Offering; Price; China; United States

February 2003 (Revised May 2003)
Case

Accel Partners' European Launch

By: G. Felda Hardymon and Josh Lerner

In spring 2001, with the venture market crashing all around, the London office of Accel Partners, a major west coast venture capital firm, needs to make a decision about investing in an Irish software company. As the first investment of the new European operation, the... View Details

Keywords: Investment; Growth and Development Strategy; Venture Capital; Global Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Expansion; Management Practices and Processes; Partners and Partnerships; Financial Services Industry; London; United States

Career Coach

Doug Marsan

detailed design, and construction) at ExxonMobil and is working at Clean Energy Ventures, an early-stage climate tech VC fund, this summer. He can share insights on pivoting, researching various industries, application and networking timelines, and prepping for... View Details

March 2007 (Revised May 2008)
Case

Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh)

By: Daniel J. Isenberg, Carin-Isabel Knoop and David Lane

As the smallest of 4 partners in a unique wireless telephony venture in Bangladesh that he initiated and helped grow, Iqbal Quadir is trying to acquire a larger stake in the venture when one of the partners wants to sell his shares. However, Quadir faces stiff... View Details

Apr 06 2015
Interview

What Lies Ahead for Private Equity?

September 2009 (Revised September 2010)
Case

Avid Radiopharmaceuticals and Lighthouse Capital Partners

By: Matthew Rhodes-Kropf and Ann Leamon

In fall 2008, a venture lender must decide whether to make a loan to Avid, a small but promising venture-backed life sciences firm. In reviewing her proposal, Cristy Barnes considers the company's characteristics and how they differ from a typical investment. At the... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Decision Choices and Conditions; Financial Crisis; Venture Capital; Private Equity; Financing and Loans; Investment; Financial Services Industry; Health Industry

September 1996
Background Note

Some Thoughts on Career Management

By: William A. Sahlman

A view of career management for people interested in starting or playing a major role in an entrepreneurial venture is presented. View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Entrepreneurship; Personal Development and Career

January 2001
Case

Abgenix and the XenoMouse

By: Robert J. Dolan

Abgenix has a unique method for generating antibodies useful in treating a number of diseases, including cancer. In early 2000, the company's cancer has performed very well in animal testing and is moving to early stage human testing. Abgenix must decide whether to... View Details

Keywords: Product Development; Marketing Strategy; Health Testing and Trials; Risk and Uncertainty; Technological Innovation; Innovation Strategy; Science-Based Business; Biotechnology Industry

Profile

Nneka Ezeigwe

Nneka Ezeigwe (MBA 2015) is looking to make an impact in her native Nigeria through entrepreneurial ventures and work in the public sector. View Details

Keywords: Nonprofit / Government; Entrepreneurship; Consulting

Article

Early Stage Investing in Mexico: The Role of Angel Investors and Seed Capital Funds

By: Roberto Charvel

This articles does a review of newly formed seed capital structures, angel investors and their interaction with venture capital funds in Mexico. View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurial Finance; Emerging Economies; Venture Capital; Entrepreneurship; Financial Services Industry; Latin America; Mexico

October 1993
Background Note

Note on Developing Start-Up Strategies

Provides students with a workable framework for analyzing new ventures. Stresses the importance of matching analytical tasks to the type of venture contemplated. View Details

Keywords: Analysis; Business Startups