This case study chronicles into the transformative entrepreneurial path of Demond Martin, co-founder and CEO of WellWithAll, a health and wellness startup. Motivated by a pivotal life experience and deep concern for racial health inequities, Martin transitions from a successful hedge fund career to champion health equity through WellWithAll. He leverages his extensive network and industry reputation to forge strategic alliances with The Campbell’s Company, retail giants like Target and Thrive Markets, and health equity partners such as Advocate Health and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. While tackling the challenges in the crowded supplements and energy drinks market, Martin is committed to investing 20% of profits into Black and Brown communities, aiming for a $300 million impact on racial health disparties over the next decade. Key themes include a late-career transition to entrepreneurship, leveraging relationships, team building, and scaling a mission-driven business.
In 2019, Parker Hannifin, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of motion and control technologies, did something unusual for an industrial company: it created a purpose statement. Even though it already had a clear business strategy and longstanding culture of empowering its employees, creating a nine-word purpose statement proved transformational. This was particularly true during the pandemic, when Parker’s purpose—Enabling Engineering Breakthroughs that Lead to a Better Tomorrow—came to life as team members built parts for lifesaving ventilators and designed a filtration system that enabled the mass-production of vaccines. Now Parker’s new CEO must determine how to bring Parker’s purpose fully to life, using it to inspire team members, connect with customers, and guide the company as it navigates clean energy technologies and other challenges.
Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 324-119. Miami-Dade County led the work to get South Florida designated a national climate resilience tech hub, the only one of 31 focused on climate change, an urgent major issue for the region in light of global warming and sea level rise. Venture capitalists saw the potential but not many investable ventures; some entrepreneurs created scalable ventures but without much regional support; economic development agencies were not yet fully building the ecosystem or just getting started. Most wanted more from government, higher education, and others. The label “climate tech hub” had to be backed by specific proposals to attract available funding. What are the gaps and missing ingredients? What actions might fill the gaps?
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Alicia Dadlani is the Executive Director of the Mid-US Research Office (MRO). She works closely with HBS faculty developing case studies and supporting faculty research in the region. She also serves an important role in building and strengthening strong partnerships with companies and alumni in the region and supporting a wide range of initiatives across the school.
Alicia has extensive international experience in Asia, Latin America, and Europe. She started her career as a CPA for Ernst & Young (E&Y), working in the Midwest and Japan. After E&Y, she joined The Coca-Cola Company and held various leadership roles in Japan and the corporate office (Atlanta, GA) managing mergers and acquisitions and working on key strategic initiatives around the world. Upon graduating from Harvard Business School, Alicia joined McKinsey & Co, working in Atlanta and Europe with a focus in the consumer goods sector. Raised in Ohio, Alicia returned to the Midwest and lives there with her family.
Alicia received her MBA from Harvard Business School and her B.S. in Accounting from Miami University. She is also fluent in Japanese.