N12 Technologies: Building an Organization and Building a Business

David A. Garvin

Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | June 2016

N12 Technologies: Building an Organization and Building a Business

by David A. Garvin

Abstract

N12 Technologies was a startup founded in 2010 that employed nanotechnology to manufacture a patented material to improve the performance of carbon fiber composites, which were used in a wide variety of products, ranging from bicycles to automobiles to aircraft parts. By 2016, the company had grown to 27 employees and was able to produce its product in small volumes. While much had been achieved, the company's success hinged on its leadership's ability to scale both the organization and production capabilities exponentially. The case describes the company's evolution from a newly created startup to a young "loosely structured" company as well as the challenges ahead.

Keywords: Startup; organizational structure; nanotechnology; Business Processes; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Design; Management Systems; Commercialization; Industrial Products Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Auto Industry; Bicycle Industry; Transportation Industry; United States;

Language: English

Format: Print

17 pages

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Citation:

Garvin, David A. "N12 Technologies: Building an Organization and Building a Business." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 316-187, June 2016.

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N12 Technologies: Building an Organization and Building a Business

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