Publications

ZEFER, a young Internet professional service firm, is considering its expansion options. Organic growth versus growth by acquisition is a central theme. The firm's financing strategy will be determined by its business strategy. View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Financial Strategy; Service Operations; Business Strategy; Expansion; Internet; Service Industry

March 2022
Supplement

Pakistan Rising: Bazaar's Growth Story (B)

By: Paul A. Gompers and Gamze Yucaoglu

The case opens in January 2022 as Hamza Jawaid and Saad Jangda, co-founders of Bazaar technologies (Bazaar), the Pakistani high growth B2B e-commerce marketplace, are looking over the performance of the newly launched “buy now, play later” feature. The traction looks... View Details

Keywords: B2B; Business Model; Emerging Markets; For-Profit Firms; Strategy; Digital Platforms; Information Technology; Value Creation; Globalization; Competition; Expansion; Profit; Resource Allocation; Diversification; Corporate Strategy; Pakistan

Web

Finance - Faculty & Research

Josh Lerner Paul A. Gompers William A. Sahlman Robert S. Kaplan Kenneth A. Froot Laura Alfaro Benjamin C. Esty... View Details

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Research - Global

Knife Capital and Quicket By: Paul A. Gompers , Emanuele Colonnelli, Maagatha Kalavadakken and Namrata Arora Keet van Zyl and Eben van Heerden, co-founders of Knife Capital,... View Details

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Connect with Clubs - Recruiting

Hire Talent Connect with Clubs Hire Talent Connect with Clubs Partner with a HBS Student Club Reach targeted groups of students by connecting with over 50 career-related student clubs. Work with club leaders to sponsor events, advertise... View Details

August 2023
Case

WayCool: Reimagining the Food Supply Chain

By: Paul Gompers and Kairavi Dey

Founded in 2015, WayCool, is an Indian agri-tech start-up that built a B2B operation acquiring fruits and vegetables from product-specific agriculture companies and small-holding farmers. It sold them to business customers, such as local retail stores, restaurants, and... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Digital Transformation; Operations; Business Strategy; Supply Chain; Performance; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Technology Industry; Web Services Industry; Asia; South Asia

March 2022 (Revised February 2023)
Case

Pakistan Rising: Bazaar's Growth Story (A)

By: Paul A. Gompers and Gamze Yucaoglu

The case opens in September 2021 as Hamza Jawaid and Saad Jangda, co-founders of Bazaar technologies (Bazaar), the Pakistani high growth B2B e-commerce marketplace, are contemplating whether the year-and-a half old startup should also venture into offering financing to... View Details

Keywords: B2B; Business Model; Emerging Markets; For-Profit Firms; Strategy; Digital Platforms; Information Technology; Value Creation; Globalization; Competition; Expansion; Profit; Resource Allocation; Diversification; Corporate Strategy; Pakistan

Web

Finance - Faculty & Research

Kempf More Faculty News HBS Working Knowledge 12 Nov 2024 Inside One Startup's Journey to Break Down Hiring (and Funding) Barriers Re: Paul A. Gompers 08 Nov 2024 How Private... View Details

January 1998 (Revised September 2001)
Background Note

A Note on Angel Financing

Discusses the economics of the private equity market and recent efforts by the U.S. Small Business Administration to promote greater angel financing. View Details

Keywords: Financial Markets; Government and Politics; Financing and Loans; Financial Services Industry; United States

Web

Entrepreneurship - Faculty & Research

Product–Market Fit in the Age of AI . Damn Gravity Media, 2025. More Publications Faculty William R. Kerr Lynda M. Applegate William A. Sahlman Thomas R. Eisenmann Geoffrey G. Jones Myra M. Hart Rosabeth M. Kanter Joseph B. Lassiter... View Details

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 1998
Background Note

Contracting and Control in Venture Capital

Discusses the control mechanisms and contracts utilized by venture capitalists. The emphasis is on understanding potential conflicts of interest and how the contracts mitigate those conflicts. View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Governance Controls; Contracts; Business or Company Management; Conflict of Interests

April 2017
Case

Yushan Bicycles: Learning to Ride Abroad

By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Paul S. Myers

Yushan Bicycles, one of Taiwan's leading bicycle manufacturers, is pursuing an international expansion strategy by increasing demand for its range of traditional and electric bicycles and shifting its product mix toward higher-margin models sold through specialty... View Details

Keywords: Globalized Firms and Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Conflict Management; Learning; Bicycle Industry; Taiwan; Australia

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Finance Awards & Honors - Faculty & Research

“Creditor Rights, Enforcement, and Debt Ownership Structure: Evidence from the Global Syndicated Loan Market” with William L. Megginson, sponsored by the Tuck Business School and the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis . View Details

Web

Health Care - Faculty & Research

Amitabh Chandra Alvin E. Roth Leemore S. Dafny Tarun Khanna James E. Austin See All HBS Working Knowlege 12 Nov 2024 Inside One Startup's Journey to Break Down Hiring (and Funding) Barriers Re: Paul A. View Details

1999
Other Unpublished Work

Executive Ownership and Control in Newly Public Firms: The Role of Venture Capitalists

By: Malcolm Baker and Paul Gompers

We study the implications of CEO equity ownership for incentives and control in a sample of 1,011 newly public firms. Before an initial public offering, equity investments by venture capitalists reduce CEO ownership by about half, from an average of 35 percent to 19... View Details

Keywords: Equity; Ownership; Motivation and Incentives; Initial Public Offering; Investment; Venture Capital; Managerial Roles; Cost Management; Governance Controls; Executive Compensation

Read Now

01 Sep 2023
News

Made in Italy

Sustainable Production (led by professors Willy Shih and Michael Toffel) Ghana: Doing Business Across Africa (led by Senior Lecturer Hakeem Belo-Osagie) Israel: Startups and Venture Capital (led View Details

Keywords: April White

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Entrepreneurial Management Awards & Honors - Faculty & Research

Malloy and Quoc Nguyen. Zoe B. Cullen : Recipient of the 2021 Excellence in Refereeing Award from the American Economic Review . Paul A. Gompers : Winner of the 2021 Doriot... View Details

May 2002
Case

Venture Capital Fund Restructuring Vignettes (Abridged)

This case examines the changes in fund structures proposed by four venture capital firms in 2002: Accel Partners, Battery Ventures, Charles River Ventures, and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. The venture capital market has experienced a major downturn, and these... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Restructuring; Financial Crisis; Motivation and Incentives; Business and Shareholder Relations; Investment Funds; Financial Services Industry