Publications

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September 2010
Teaching Note

The Challenges of Launching a Start-Up in China: Dorm99.com (TN)

By: F. Warren McFarlan

Teaching Note for 307075. View Details

Keywords: Internet and the Web; Capital; Investment; Joint Ventures; Product Launch; Business and Government Relations; Entrepreneurship; Opportunities; Business Startups; Problems and Challenges; Social and Collaborative Networks; Beijing

24 Apr 2014
News

"Paying forward" as a mentor to high-tech and science start-ups

Emile Bellott (AM 1973, PhD 1976, MBA 1978), a consultant in bio-pharmaceuticals, talks about his work as a mentor to new companies in high tech and medicine. (Published April 2014) View Details

18 Mar 2014
Blog Post

BaubleBar Brought to Life, and Other Tales of Joining a Start-up

company size is important for anyone looking to join a start-up. Have a sense of how you would perform given the challenges of wherever the firm is in its growth. What are the operations like? Amid all the opportunity, are you ready for the hurdles and obstacles? What... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Technology; Consumer Products / Retail

09 Sep 2015
News

A Path for Entrepreneurs, When a Start-Up Is Not the Goal

February 2017 (Revised December 2018)
Case

From Start-Up to Grown-Up Nation: The Future of the Israeli Innovation Ecosystem (Abridged)

By: Elie Ofek and Margot Eiran

In June 2016, Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, wrestled with how to sustain Israel’s strong innovation track record and the country’s reputation as the “start-up nation.” Despite the economic miracle the country had wrought since its founding, he... View Details

Keywords: Innovation and Management; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Government and Politics; Economy; Equality and Inequality; Israel

Educators

01 Apr 2001
News

Rewriting the Script: Social Enterprise Start-ups Expand Business Plan Contest's Parameters

The story of how nonprofit start-up Montage Entertainment came about would be familiar to many past participants in the HBS Business Plan Contest. “Some friends and I were sitting in the café at Shad, discussing film and the way women and... View Details

Keywords: Arts, Entertainment; Information

June 2016 (Revised December 2017)
Case

The Cheese and the Oligarchs: The Politics, the Media, and Israel's Dream of a Start-Up Nation

By: Rafael Di Tella and Christine Snively

Israel enjoyed the highest concentration of technology start-ups in the world per capita. Despite regional instability, the country maintained strong economic growth and was considered a high-tech powerhouse. But not all Israelis benefited. Between the 1980s and 2010s,... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Information Technology; Business Conglomerates; Business Startups; Israel

Educators

15 Aug 2024
News

A Chinese Self-Driving Start-Up Is About to Go Public in the U.S.

June 2016
Teaching Note

The Cheese and the Oligarchs: The Politics, the Media, and Israel's Dream of a Start-Up Nation

By: Rafael Di Tella and Christine Snively

Israel enjoyed the highest concentration of technology start-ups in the world per capita. Despite regional instability, the country maintained strong economic growth and was considered a high-tech powerhouse. But not all Israelis benefited. Between the 1980s and 2010s,... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Information Technology; Business Conglomerates; Business Startups; Israel

June 2020
Article

Start-up Inertia versus Flexibility: The Role of Founder Identity in a Nascent Industry

By: Tiona Zuzul and Mary Tripsas

Through an inductive, comparative study of four early entrants in the nascent air taxi market, we examine why start-ups, generally characterized as flexible, malleable entities, might instead exhibit inertial behavior. While two of the firms engaged in ongoing... View Details

Keywords: Founder Identity; Nascent Industries; Entrepreneurship; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Identity

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08 Feb 2013
News

A start-up epidemic is spreading across the country, but are some sectors falling behind?

May 2017
Teaching Note

From Start-Up to Grown-Up Nation: The Future of the Israeli Innovation Ecosystem and (Abridged)

By: Elie Ofek and Margot Eiran

Teaching Note for HBS Nos. 517-103 and 517-066. View Details

February 2019 (Revised November 2021)
Case

MoviePass

By: Willy Shih

Mitch Lowe, the CEO of MoviePass, was having trouble convincing people of the viability of the company's business model. The company was building a multi-sided platform and was planning to extract value from increasing traffic to movie theaters through a number of... View Details

Keywords: Start-up; Start-up Growth; Start-ups; Business Model Innovation; Business Model; Innovation and Invention; Multi-Sided Platforms; Business Startups; Planning; Motion Pictures and Video Industry; United States

Educators

May 2014
Article

Making 'Freemium' Work: Many Start-ups Fail to Recognize the Challenges of This Popular Business Model

By: Vineet Kumar

The article discusses the "freemium" business model, which is used by some Internet businesses and smartphone application developers to give users free basic features of a digital product and access to premium functionality for a subscription fee. The discussion topics... View Details

Keywords: Freemium; Startups; Product Design; Business Model; Marketing; Business Startups

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June 1998
Article

Accounting for Soft Costs: New Start-up Activities Cost Standard Consistent with Earlier Advertising Cost Standard

By: David F. Hawkins

Keywords: Cost; Accounting; Advertising

July 2020
Supplement

Instabeat—Crossing the Finish Line

By: Shikhar Ghosh, Nicole Tempest Keller and Alpana Thapar

Lebanese entrepreneur Hind Hobeika was just 21 years old when she launched her startup, Instabeat, which had developed the first real-time bio-feedback device for swimmers to monitor and improve their performance. It had been an extremely testing 10-year journey to... View Details

Keywords: Start-up; Wearables; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Information Technology; Information Infrastructure; Strategy; Operations; Management; United States; Lebanon

January 2013
Supplement

SMARTBITES (B): May 2009

By: Michael Roberts and Amar Bhide

The case describes a Turkish brother and sister team who are evaluating the option of acquiring and operating a franchise of a large US bakery/cafe for Turkey. They are comparing this option to that of simply starting a similar business. View Details

Keywords: Franchising; Start-up; Franchise Ownership; Business Startups; Food and Beverage Industry; Turkey

2010
Book

Mastering the VC Game: A Venture Capital Insider Reveals How to Get from Start-up to IPO on Your Terms

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang

An essential, insider's guide to the secrets of the world of venture capital, written by one of the few people who have played on both sides of this high-stakes game. In it, you will find detailed insights, colorful stories, and practical advice gathered from... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Venture Capital; Initial Public Offering; Personal Development and Career