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  • November 2004 (Revised May 2010)
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RightNow Technologies

By: William A. Sahlman and Dan Heath
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:26
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Abstract

The founder and CEO of a CRM software start-up must decide between an attractive acquisition offer and the opportunity to go public. Discusses the growth of the company--including a lengthy discussion of entrepreneurial bootstrapping--as well as an aborted IPO attempt in 2000. The central question is whether the company will create more value by staying independent or by joining a larger organization.

Keywords

Business Exit Or Shutdown; Software; Going Public; Management Teams; Finance; Strategy; Value Creation; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Acquisition; Computer Industry

Citation

Sahlman, William A., and Dan Heath. "RightNow Technologies." Harvard Business School Case 805-032, November 2004. (Revised May 2010.)
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About The Author

William A. Sahlman

Entrepreneurial Management
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More from the Authors
  • Guild Education: Unlocking Opportunity for America's Workforce By: William A. Sahlman, Michael D. Smith, Nicole Tempest Keller and Alpana Thapar
  • 1366 Technologies: Surviving in a Fast Changing World By: Jurgen Weiss, William A. Sahlman and Joseph B. Lassiter III
  • Khan Academy 2018 (Abridged) By: William A. Sahlman and Nicole Tempest Keller
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