Publications

27 Dec 2015
Research & Ideas

The Most Popular Stories and Research Papers of 2015

Francisco (39,514) In San Francisco, tech companies are hoping to make the world a better place—but the fabric of the city is changing in the process. A case study by Clayton Rose explores this clash of... View Details

November 2019 (Revised February 2022)
Teaching Note

Innovation at Uber: The Launch of Express POOL

By: Chiara Farronato and Sarah Mehta

Teaching Note for HBS No. 619-003. Set in March 2018, the Case follows ride-sharing company Uber as it develops and launches a new product called Express POOL. The Teaching Note offers guidance for instructors who wish to use the case either with or without its dataset... View Details

Keywords: Innovation and Management; Innovation Leadership; Innovation Strategy; Technological Innovation; Information Technology; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Applications and Software; Digital Platforms; Decision Making; Technology Industry; California; San Francisco

July 2000
Case

Dawn Riley at America True (B)

By: Linda A. Hill and Kristin Doughty

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Management Style; Leadership; Problems and Challenges; Sports; Gender; Business Startups; North and Central America; New Zealand; San Francisco

24 May 2004
Research & Ideas

The Watsons: IBM’s Troubled Legacy

the International Business Machines Corporation and its indomitable leader, Thomas J. Watson Sr. As a demonstration of the latest device out of the I.B.M. research laboratories, a letter of congratulation was flashed through the air from View Details

Keywords: by Richard S. Tedlow

June 2023
Case

Block: Creating an Ecosystem of Ecosystems

By: Lauren Cohen, Richard Ryffel, Grace Headinger and Ruoshi Qi

At Investor Day 2022, Block announced a new vision for its businesses: creating an ecosystem of ecosystems. Outside the norm for many public growth companies, Block had recently acquired a variety of new business streams in the creator economy and Bitcoin despite a... View Details

July 2011
Teaching Note

a-connect: In Search of Talent Partners (TN) (A) and (B)

By: Robert G. Eccles and Penelope Rossano

Teaching Note for 409036 and 411085. View Details

Keywords: Revenue; Business Offices; Attorney and Client Relationships; Customer Focus and Relationships; Initial Public Offering; Organizations; Change; Consulting Industry; Boston; Hong Kong; Singapore; San Francisco

11 Jun 2014
Research & Ideas

In the Future of Sports Investing, Media Is the Best Bet

thought of as something that's investable for private equity. We see exciting young, growth companies, and we want to make them available to our limited partners." Hence, the creation of Causeway Media Partners, an investment fund Higgins launched last year along... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Sports; Financial Services

March 2022
Case

Tensions at SearchLight Cures

By: Laura Huang and Sarah Mehta

This general experience case tells the story of SearchLight Cures, a fictional biotechnology startup. Having discovered a new therapy for a rare disease, the company’s co-founders find themselves at an impasse over a pricing disagreement. View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Startups; Communication; Interpersonal Communication; Values and Beliefs; Management; Negotiation; Relationships; Partners and Partnerships; Science; Biotechnology Industry; United States; California; San Francisco

July 2021
Case

A Close Shave at Squire

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Zoë B. Cullen, William R. Kerr, Benjamin N. Roth and Michael Norris

In 2020, just after closing a $34 million Series B financing round, Dave Salvant and Songe LaRon consider how to adjust their business, Squire Technologies, to the new realities posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Their barbershop technology, including tools to run a shop... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Private Equity; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Applications and Software; Growth and Development Strategy; Health Pandemics; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Technology Industry; New York (city, NY); San Francisco

September 2024
Supplement

Allbirds: Decarbonizing Fashion (B)

By: Michael W. Toffel, Kenneth P. Pucker and Stacy Straaberg

The Allbirds: Decarbonizing Fashion (B) case encourages students to assess Allbirds’ product development and go-to-market strategies now that Allbirds is a publicly listed company. The (B) case provides a 2024 update on Allbirds including its initial public offering,... View Details

28 Apr 2014
Research & Ideas

Football Stars Debate ‘The Social Capital of the Savvy Athlete’

Nobody understands the power of Twitter better than Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman. In a now-infamous television interview in January after a National Football League playoff game, Sherman briefly ranted against rival Michael Crabtree, referring to the... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Sports

January 2017 (Revised October 2021)
Case

Delivering the Goods at Shippo

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Jeffrey F. Rayport and Olivia Hull

Laura Behrens Wu, CEO of software start-up Shippo, prepares her pitch for a Series A funding round following a successful seed round. Customer adoption of Shippo’s e-commerce dashboard application, which allows small and medium retailers to compare delivery rates... View Details

June 2013
Teaching Note

Rock Health

By: Robert Higgins and Ian McKown Cornell

This is the teaching note associated with HBS Case #813035. The case should enable students to identify emerging challenges, evaluate Rock Health's funding model, debate the effectiveness of its incubation service and assess its long-term viability. View Details

Keywords: Innovation; Incubation; Healthcare Technology; Startups; Entrepreneurship; Innovation and Management; Health Care and Treatment; Business Startups; Health Industry; San Francisco; California; United States

04 Apr 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research, April 4

to develop Alfred’s routes and respond to customer requests in conjunction with other service providers, for example grocery delivery services, in what the founders describe as their "B2B2C" business model. Alfred won the coveted TechCrunch View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

August 2023
Case

Quotient

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Matt Higgins

The founders of Quotient, a web-based service for onboarding new engineers, face decisions about how to bring their nascent product to market amidst a tech sector contraction. View Details

Keywords: Engineers; Entrepreneurial Management; Growth; Go-to-market; Product Management; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Product Launch; Market Entry and Exit; Strategy; New York (city, NY); San Francisco

January 2024
Case

Mariam Braimah: Designing a Career in Tech

By: Lakshmi Ramarajan, Hannah Riley Bowles and Michael Norris

In 2022, Mariam Braimah, a digital designer working at Netflix, is considering the next move in her career. She has spent several years at Netflix, and in her spare time, using her savings, has founded a design-focused fellowship program and a consumer insights company... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Interpersonal Communication; Entrepreneurship; Personal Development and Career; Power and Influence; Technology Industry; Nigeria; United States; New York (city, NY); San Francisco