FairMarket, Inc.:  Where Buyers and Sellers Connect

Lynda M. Applegate; Jack  Wieland; Chad M. M Raube

Case | HBS Case Collection | August 1998 (Revised June 2000)

FairMarket, Inc.: Where Buyers and Sellers Connect

by Lynda M. Applegate, Jack Wieland and Chad M. M Raube

Abstract

On February 20, 1997, FairMarket, an Internet-based business-to-business auction site, was launched. CEO, founder Scott Randall, drew on his experience building Internet businesses at NECX Direct, Yahoo, and Internet Shopping Network to build his business. This case, set in June 1998, describes the challenges he faced in launching the company and enables students to debate the best approach to penetrating the market and growing the organization.

Keywords: Business Startups; Debates; Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development; Growth Management; Management Style; Product Launch; Multi-Sided Platforms; Problems and Challenges; Information Technology; Information Technology Industry; Web Services Industry;

Language: English

Format: Print

26 pages

Find at Harvard

Citation:

Applegate, Lynda M., Jack Wieland, and Chad M. M Raube. "FairMarket, Inc.: Where Buyers and Sellers Connect." Harvard Business School Case 399-006, August 1998. (Revised June 2000.)

Founded in 2008 at Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Collibra was a data intelligence company that found product-market fit in the years after the global financial crisis when many companies were under pressure from consumers and governments to improve their data management efforts. Over the years, Collibra expanded its product offering from a Semantic Data Integration tool to a Data Governance Platform with a range of data management and governance tools and also expanded geographically from Belgium to the U.S. and other countries. In 2019, with more than 350 clients, Collibra became a unicorn with a valuation of more than $1 billion. Now, co-founders Felix Van de Maele, Stijn Christiaens, and Pieter De Leenheer needed to decide how to move from “data governance” to “data intelligence.”

This case describes Café Kenya (CK), a Kenyan-based chain of casual quick-food restaurants. The chain was started in 2011 in Nairobi by Nekesa Kuria. Kuria started Café Kenya and grew it by reinvesting profits into company stores and through franchising. She also concentrated on getting the details right, and she helped this effort by hiring the best people possible. Further, she feels a responsibility to help other African women succeed as business owners. The company is very successful. By early 2019, CK had 28 stores, 21 of which are franchised. All the stores are in major cities in Kenya, including Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu. Kuria is considering several options to grow CK, including organic growth, equity investment from an outside partner, and a buyout offer. Each involves tradeoffs that Kuria must decide among. The case can be used to discuss issues such as entrepreneurial ventures, managing a service business, human resource management, and options for growth. It is recommended for upper-level undergraduate students or MBA students in entrepreneurship courses.

Faculty & Research

FairMarket, Inc.: Where Buyers and Sellers Connect

Abstract

Citation:

About the Author

More from the Author