Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • August 2016
  • Case
  • HBS Case Collection

Collective Academy

By: Shikhar Ghosh and Christopher Payton
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:16
ShareBar

Abstract

This case is about making the decision to become an entrepreneur and early challenges in setting up a business model and team. In 2015, Pato Bichara co-founded Collective Academy to create an affordable, three-year undergraduate experience to infuse innovation into Mexico's education system. Despite initial enthusiastic response, Bichara struggled to build the first cohort of students for the blended program. Nothing was what Bichara expected. He found himself single-handedly managing the stress of building the business without co-founders or access to capital. Bichara further believed a pivot in the business model design would be a better way forward. With savings running low, Bichara took a personal loan from his mother to cover daily expenses. Towards the end of the case, Bichara faced a decision on whether to go ahead with Collective Academy, or evaluate other job opportunities, which had the potential to provide Bichara with a more stable lifestyle. Bichara did not want to renege on commitments made to students, their employers and his investors for Collective Academy. But, how long could he last on no salary? Would he be able to scale the Collective Academy program without funding? If he walked away now, did that imply that Bichara was not cut out to be an entrepreneur?

Keywords

Early Stage; Team Building; Business Startup; Trade-offs; Risk; Founders' Agreements; Education; Entrepreneurship; Business Model; Business Startups; Decision Making; Technology Industry; Mexico; Latin America; United States

Citation

Ghosh, Shikhar, and Christopher Payton. "Collective Academy." Harvard Business School Case 817-026, August 2016.
  • Educators
  • Purchase

About The Author

Shikhar Ghosh

Entrepreneurial Management
→More Publications

Related Work

    • October 2019
    • Faculty Research

    Collective Academy

    By: Shikhar Ghosh and Shweta Bagai
Related Work
  • Collective Academy By: Shikhar Ghosh and Shweta Bagai
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College