Why Sane People Shouldn't Serve on Public Boards

William A. Sahlman

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Chapter | The Entrepreneurial Venture | 1999

Why Sane People Shouldn't Serve on Public Boards

by William A. Sahlman

Keywords: Governing and Advisory Boards;

Format: Print

Citation:

Sahlman, William A. "Why Sane People Shouldn't Serve on Public Boards." Chap. 24 in The Entrepreneurial Venture. 2nd ed. by William A. Sahlman, Howard H. Stevenson, Michael J Roberts, and Amar V. Bhide, 441–449. Harvard Business School Press, 1999.

About the Author

William A. Sahlman

Baker Foundation Professor, Dimitri V. D'Arbeloff - MBA Class of 1955 Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus

Entrepreneurial Management

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Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2020

Khan Academy 2018 (Abridged)

William A. Sahlman and Nicole Tempest Keller

Citation:
Sahlman, William A., and Nicole Tempest Keller. "Khan Academy 2018 (Abridged)." Harvard Business School Case 820-086, January 2020. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | October 2018 (Revised May 2019)

Khan Academy 2018

William Sahlman and Nicole Tempest Keller

Founded in 2008, Khan Academy was a global educational nonprofit with a mission to provide a free, world-class education for anyone anywhere in the world. By 2018, the organization had expanded into numerous content areas, product areas, and geographic markets. However, a newly minted 3-year strategic plan called for greater focus and prioritization to enable the young organization to maximize its impact. It also called for increased fundraising efforts to ensure long-term sustainability. The case poses several questions: How can the organization balance its far-reaching aspirational vision for transforming education globally with the short-term need for greater focus? Would the priorities set in the strategic plan enable Khan Academy to create systemic global change? How should donors evaluate the attractiveness and impact of a potential investment in Khan Academy relative to other organizations in the educational market? Was Khan Academy on the right path to ensuring long-term sustainability? What should Khan Academy’s management team do?

Keywords: entrepreneur; sustainability; scaling; Social Entrepreneurship; Nonprofit Organizations; Strategy; Education; Entrepreneurship; Teaching; Education Industry; California;

Citation:
Sahlman, William, and Nicole Tempest Keller. "Khan Academy 2018." Harvard Business School Case 819-064, October 2018. (Revised May 2019.) View Details

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Technical Note | HBS Case Collection | August 2018

Evaluating Start Ups

William A. Sahlman, Ramana Nanda and Robert F. White

A framework for assessing new business opportunities and the business plans used to describe them is developed. Useful for aspiring entrepreneurs in MBA programs.

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Business Plan; Opportunities;

Citation:
Sahlman, William A., Ramana Nanda, and Robert F. White. "Evaluating Start Ups." Harvard Business School Technical Note 819-039, August 2018. View Details

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Why Sane People Shouldn't Serve on Public Boards

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