Publications

May 1998 (Revised October 1998)
Case

Komatsu and Dresser: Putting Two Plus Two Together

By: Ashish Nanda

In 1987, Komatsu Ltd., looking to expand its presence in the U.S. earth-moving equipment (EME) industry, enters into a 50-50 joint venture with Dresser. The management of the Komatsu Dresser joint venture faces difficulty in bringing the two halves together. The rift... View Details

Keywords: Integration; Machinery and Machining; Restructuring; Joint Ventures; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Construction Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Japan; United States

25 Apr 2017
News

Harvard Business School’s annual contest for entrepreneurs is a case study unto itself

2012
Working Paper

The Cost of Friendship

By: Paul A. Gompers, Yuhai Xuan and Vladimir Mukharlyamov

This paper explores two broad questions on collaboration between individuals. First, we investigate what personal characteristics affect people's desire to work together. Second, given the influence of these personal characteristics, we analyze whether this attraction... View Details

Keywords: Partners and Partnerships; Investment; Performance; Personal Characteristics

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February 2002
Case

NeuroTherapy Ventures: Catalyzing Neurologic Innovations

Discusses the impact of limited market size on epilepsy therapies and shows how an early-stage venture fund can catalyze faster development of new treatments. View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Commercialization; Innovation and Management; Business Startups; Pharmaceutical Industry

June 2017 (Revised October 2017)
Case

Uber in 2017: One Bumpy Ride

By: Suraj Srinivasan, Jay W. Lorsch and Quinn Pitcher

Uber Technologies Inc., the popular ride-hailing company, entered 2017 having doubled its bookings in 2016 and achieving a valuation of nearly $70 billion, making it the largest venture capital-backed company in the world. Co-founder and CEO Travis Kalanick embodied... View Details

Keywords: Governance; Information Technology; Transportation; Venture Capital; Organizational Culture; Technology Industry; Transportation Industry; United States

09 May 2019
News

Why You Should Root for the Uber I.P.O. to Fail

19 Sep 2012
Research & Ideas

Book Excerpt: “The Architecture of Innovation”

parks his Fiesta next to the independent venture capitalists' Ferraris, the temptation to go elsewhere becomes too great." In other words, companies who create internal venture teams to fuel their... View Details

Keywords: by Josh Lerner; Financial Services

May 2012
Case

Start-Up Chile: April 2012

By: Lynda M. Applegate, William R. Kerr, Josh Lerner, Dina D. Pomeranz, Gustavo A. Herrero and Cintra Scott

Start-Up Chile is a unique program to encourage entrepreneurs to bring their new ventures to Chile. Policymakers must evaluate its effectiveness in achieving economic and social goals. View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Policy; Chile

June 2000
Case

Intel Capital: The Berkeley Networks Investment

By: Henry W. Chesbrough and David Lane

Discusses how Intel Corp. uses corporate venture capital to explore new technologies in new markets. Intel combines external investments with internal research and development. View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Venture Capital; Investment; Research and Development; Semiconductor Industry

April 2015 (Revised May 2018)
Case

NXTP Labs: An Innovative Accelerator Model

By: Josh Lerner, Maria Fernanda Miguel and Laura Urdapilleta

This case follows a unique accelerator fund in Latin America, facing challenges on how to keep growing, including development of venture capital fund and leveraging of entrepreneur ecosystem. View Details

Keywords: Latin America; Accelerator; Ecosystem; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Business Startups; Financial Services Industry; Latin America

December 1997 (Revised August 1998)
Case

Randy Haykin: The Making of an Entrepreneur (A)

By: Linda A. Hill and Jennifer Suesse

An MBA graduate, 10 years out, reflects on his career path. Randy Haykin is currently running his own venture catalyst organization in the Silicon Valley. View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Personal Development and Career; Leadership Style; Organizations; San Francisco

July 2001 (Revised August 2004)
Case

AdNet (A)

By: Ashish Nanda

Confronted by a business proposal that is remarkably similar to a project recently financed by a sister office, venture capitalist Monique LeMieux ponders what she should do. View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Ethics; Standards; Financial Services Industry

June 2006 (Revised September 2006)
Case

S&S Podcasts: Deciding to Launch

Describes the effort by two MBA students to find an opportunity for a new venture in the burgeoning "podcast" space. View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Product Launch

January 2009 (Revised December 2009)
Case

Playing With Fire at Sittercity (A)

By: Noam T. Wasserman and Rachel Gordon

To help her finance her aggressive expansion plans, Genevieve Thiers plans to raise venture capital for the first time. She has spent the last six long years building Sittercity into the nation's leading babysitting web service, larger than all of its competitors... View Details

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Family and Family Relationships; Expansion; Venture Capital; Entrepreneurship; Agreements and Arrangements

21 Nov 2006
First Look

First Look: November 21, 2006

constrained domestically and those that are more technology intensive, exhibit a higher sensitivity of affiliate cash holdings to repatriation tax burdens. Download working paper: http://www.people.hbs.edu/ffoley/Cash.pdf Skill vs. Luck in Entrepreneurship and View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

May 1996 (Revised November 1997)
Case

Northeast Ventures: January 1996

By: Josh Lerner and Eric K. Jackson

Northeast Ventures, a venture capital fund focusing on the development of northeastern Minnesota, seeks to combine social goals with financial returns. This marriage poses several challenges. View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Social Enterprise; Investment Funds; Minnesota

March 2000 (Revised April 2000)
Case

Martin Smith: May 2000

By: G. Felda Hardymon and Josh Lerner

A new associate at a venture capital firm must choose which of three potential investments to recommend to the firm's partners. Each potential investment has strengths and drawbacks. View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Investment; Valuation