Publications

March 2021 (Revised February 2025)
Teaching Note

Afterpay U.S.: The Omnichannel Dilemma

By: Antonio Moreno and Anibha Singh

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 519-086. In 2018, Nick Molnar, the founder of the Australia-based online payment service Afterpay began its expansion to the U.S. market. The service had gained a loyal following in Australia by enabling customers to pay for online... View Details

October 2024
Case

Tonik

By: Andy Wu, Maliha Malek Quadir and Aticus Peterson

This case study examines Tonik, the first digital bank in the Philippines, as it navigates the challenges of scaling its lending operations and achieving profitability in an evolving fintech landscape. It explores Tonik's journey from its launch in 2018 to early 2024,... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Financing and Loans; Profit; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Growth and Development Strategy; Emerging Markets; Entrepreneurship; Product; Technology Industry; Technology Industry; Technology Industry; Philippines

September 2023 (Revised March 2024)
Case

ReMo Energy: Sizing Up Investors

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Tom Quinn

In 2023, executives with ReMo Energy (founded 2020) were deciding which size ammonia plant to build as their first project. Their innovative model produced ammonia—useful for making fertilizer and for energy storage—from renewable energy, and they had received funding... View Details

December 2016
Case

thredUP: Think Secondhand First

By: Thomas Eisenmann, Allison Ciechanover and Jeff Huizinga

In the fall of 2016, the management team at thredUP, the largest U.S. online retailer of second hand clothing, is deciding whether to expand into international markets. Over the past 12 months the 7-year-old startup, which had raised over $130 million in venture... View Details

Keywords: Scaling Start-ups; International Expansion; Online Consignment; Apparel; Internet and the Web; Expansion; Entrepreneurship; Global Strategy; Business Startups; E-commerce; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Retail Industry; San Francisco

25 Aug 2022
News

Case Study: Sound Check

line succeed. Aim to be world’s best at one thing, regardless of customer size. Okay, two things, just in case. But not everything. And aim for a very specific acquirer of the company at a time that’s right for you and your lives. Good luck! —Bill Mirbach (MBA 1976) is... View Details

Keywords: Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services

06 Dec 2021
News

What's the Word?

are some ways forward, says Fuller. Companies might need to embrace automation technologies that can help reduce labor hours per unit, an approach Fuller has seen start to take hold in the garment industry. There could be regulatory aid,... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; illustrations by Martha Rich; Manufacturing; Finance; News, Library, Internet, and Other Services; Information

09 Jun 2015
First Look

First Look: June 9, 2015

a lower price. In late 2012, Quincy's cofounders are debating how to approach a crucial board meeting. Their seed-stage startup is running low on cash; to survive, they will need more capital, probably in the form of a bridge loan from... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Fast Answer

Government data and information sources for public entrepreneurship

information technology, government, and the public. Focused on how policies affect government information flows and the availability of government information; the use of technology to create and provide innovative government services;... View Details

06 Aug 2020
News

Defining Flex Work

companies that offer it, but almost immediately Auerbach recognized two fundamental problems. First, no one knew how to talk about flexibility. Second, no one had the data to understand the business benefits of it. The New York City–based View Details

01 Sep 2012
News

On a Sound Track

ANDRUS: Unemployed at graduation, an unlikely and inspiring odyssey takes him from his parents’ basement to the corner office of a company on the cutting edge. Photos by August Miller HBS Alumni of a certain vintage might recall a BusinessWeek article from a decade ago... View Details

Keywords: Deborah Blagg; audio accessories; Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, and Book Stores; Retail Trade

December 2021 (Revised January 2023)
Supplement

Katerra (B)

By: Lindsay N. Hyde, Thomas R. Eisenmann and Tom Quinn

In May 2020, SoftBank executives, having invested nearly $2 billion in Katerra, decided the vision of an end-to-end, vertically-integrated construction process was worth saving—with some major changes to company structure. The SoftBank Vision Fund invested $200 million... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Failure; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Entrepreneurship; Construction; Technology Industry; Technology Industry; Technology Industry; United States

July 2001 (Revised February 2002)
Case

Enspire Learning

An MBA student founds an e-education business and must decide which customers to target and which products/services to produce. View Details

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Internet and the Web; Service Delivery; Education; Business Startups; Planning; Web Services Industry; Education Industry