Tellme Networks, Inc.

Thomas R. Eisenmann; Nicole  Tempest

Case | HBS Case Collection | November 2000 (Revised November 2005)

Tellme Networks, Inc.

by Thomas R. Eisenmann and Nicole Tempest

Abstract

Tellme, an early-stage, venture-backed company based in Silicon Valley, leverages speech-recognition technologies to provide: 1) a "voice portal" with news and other information accessible through any telephone, and 2) turnkey application development and hosting services for other companies that wish to voice-enable customer service and marketing applications. These two businesses are interdependent: partners' applications receive greater usage when they are hosted within Tellme's portal, and Tellme's portal receives greater usage by virtue of hosting a richer array of applications. In the fall of 2000, Tellme managers are debating a number of strategic issues, most importantly: 1) should they agree to voice-enable services for mass-market Internet portals like Yahoo!, which would provide significant application development/hosting revenue but accelerate competition to Tellme's own voice portal?; and 2) should they pursue a "Get Big Fast" strategy, investing aggressively in customer acquisition and brand building?

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Multi-Sided Platforms; Business Conglomerates; Business Startups; Online Technology; Venture Capital; Technology Adoption; Internet; Brands and Branding; Information Technology; Telecommunications Industry; Technology Industry;

Format: Print

25 pages

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Citation:

Eisenmann, Thomas R., and Nicole Tempest. "Tellme Networks, Inc." Harvard Business School Case 801-319, November 2000. (Revised November 2005.)

Avni Patel Thompson, founder and CEO of Poppy, an online marketplace for on-demand childcare, revisits the venture's final months, and discusses the steps she took in the wake of the shutdown. This case explores experiments the company conducted to refine its original business model, as well as how Patel Thompson rekindled her entrepreneurial ambitions. It is part two of an A and B case, the A case being: Poppy: A Modern Village for Childcare Case 818 075, November 2017.

Aereo aimed to disrupt television program distribution by providing consumers access to local broadcast TV programming using offsite antennas, cloud-based DVRs, and an Internet connection. With Aereo, consumers could “cut the cord” and avoid the high cost of a cable TV subscription. Soon after launching service in NYC in 2012, Aereo was sued by broadcasters, who asserted that the startup was distributing their programs without permission — and without paying retransmission fees. After Federal District and Appeals Court victories for Aereo, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the startup in 2013, and it was shut down, after investing $97 million. The case looks at Aereo's journey and offers reflections from founder/CEO Chet Kanojia.

Case | HBS Case Collection | February 2020

San Francisco Ballet: On 'Pointe' for the Future

Rohit Deshpandé and Nicole Tempest Keller

The SF Ballet was regarded as one of the top ballet companies in the world. It had an enviable earned revenue percentage of almost 50% and had an internationally recognized ballet school. However, by 2019 the Ballet faced a number of challenges. Ballet was a European art form that had gained popularity in the U.S. a century ago, but the demographics of the U.S. no longer reflected those European roots. In San Francisco, the Ballet had been a favorite pastime of the older, monied set, but the city's demographics had changed over the last few decades as young Millennials had flocked to San Francisco to join the burgeoning tech industry. The Ballet struggled to attract younger audiences and found itself competing with digital alternatives for how people spent their leisure time. Moreover, to make changes in programming, accessibility, and the Opera House venue to appeal to younger audiences, the Ballet risked alienating its loyal, older donors, who were the lifeblood of the Ballet's revenue model. Kelly Tweeddale, the newly hired Executive Director, had to consider the interests of various stakeholders - dancers, donors, audience, staff, board, and the local community - which often were at odds with one another. With limited resources, the Ballet needed to choose which changes to tackle first and those decisions were tied to how the organization prioritized its various constituents.

Keywords: Arts; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Demographics; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Strategic Planning; Social Enterprise; Cultural Entrepreneurship; United States; San Francisco;

Citation:

Deshpandé, Rohit, and Nicole Tempest Keller. "San Francisco Ballet: On 'Pointe' for the Future." Harvard Business School Case 520-054, February 2020. View Details

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