Go to main content
Harvard Business School
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions

Faculty & Research

  • HOME
  • FACULTY
  • RESEARCH
    • Global Research Centers
    • HBS Case Collection
    • HBS Case Development
    • Initiatives & Projects
    • Publications
    • Research Associate (RA) Positions
    • Research Services
    • Seminars & Conferences
    Close
  • FEATURED TOPICS
    • Business and Environment
    • Business History
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Finance
    • Globalization
    • Health Care
    • Human Behavior and Decision-Making
    • Leadership
    • Social Enterprise
    • Technology and Innovation
    Close
  • ACADEMIC UNITS
    • Accounting and Management
    • Business, Government and the International Economy
    • Entrepreneurial Management
    • Finance
    • General Management
    • Marketing
    • Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
    • Organizational Behavior
    • Strategy
    • Technology and Operations Management
    Close

Case | HBS Case Collection | November 2016 (Revised October 2018)

Augmedix

by Frank V. Cespedes and Alexandra N. Rachlin

  • Print
  • Email

Abstract

In April 2015, Ian Shakil and Pelu Tran, cofounders of Augmedix, are discussing how to grow their emerging health care startup. The company’s sole product, also called Augmedix, streams video of doctor-patient interactions to remote medical scribes, thus freeing doctors from the burden of having to manually input information into an electronic medical record (EMR) and giving them additional time to focus on patients. Shakil and Tran had grown the company by allowing any qualified doctor or health system to use the service but are now discussing whether they should segment the market and focus on a particular type of client. They also wonder whether Augmedix’s current pricing appropriately reflects the value their service provides. Lastly, the two want to discuss how to staff and structure the company’s nascent sales function as Augmedix grows.

Keywords: entrepreneurial management; sales management; marketing strategy; scaling; hiring; pricing; Entrepreneurship; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Product Marketing; Sales; Technology; Health Industry; United States;

Language: English Format: Print 16 pages EducatorsPurchase

Citation:

Cespedes, Frank V., and Alexandra N. Rachlin. "Augmedix." Harvard Business School Case 817-048, November 2016. (Revised October 2018.)

Related Work

  1. Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | March 2018

    Augmedix

    Frank V. Cespedes

    Teaching Note for HBS No. 817-048. Augmedix provides a service that live-streams video of patient appointments to a remote scribe, freeing up significant physician time from electronic medical record data-entry tasks. The venture is confronting decisions in areas such as customer segmentation, pricing, and sales hiring. The case and teaching note examine factors that drive adoption of a service, how these factors vary by segment or buyer type, and the implications (and trade-offs) for customer acquisition cost (CAC), customer lifetime value (LTV), pricing, and sales hiring in a venture that has achieved product-market fit and is seeking to scale.

    Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Sales; Management; Marketing Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Technology Adoption; Customers; Segmentation; Health Industry; Technology Industry; United States;

    Citation:

    Cespedes, Frank V. "Augmedix." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 818-117, March 2018.  View Details
    CiteView DetailsPurchase Related
  2. Case | HBS Case Collection | November 2016 (Revised October 2018)

    Augmedix

    Frank V. Cespedes and Alexandra N. Rachlin

    In April 2015, Ian Shakil and Pelu Tran, cofounders of Augmedix, are discussing how to grow their emerging health care startup. The company’s sole product, also called Augmedix, streams video of doctor-patient interactions to remote medical scribes, thus freeing doctors from the burden of having to manually input information into an electronic medical record (EMR) and giving them additional time to focus on patients. Shakil and Tran had grown the company by allowing any qualified doctor or health system to use the service but are now discussing whether they should segment the market and focus on a particular type of client. They also wonder whether Augmedix’s current pricing appropriately reflects the value their service provides. Lastly, the two want to discuss how to staff and structure the company’s nascent sales function as Augmedix grows.

    Keywords: entrepreneurial management; sales management; marketing strategy; scaling; hiring; pricing; Entrepreneurship; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Product Marketing; Sales; Technology; Health Industry; United States;

    Citation:

    Cespedes, Frank V., and Alexandra N. Rachlin. "Augmedix." Harvard Business School Case 817-048, November 2016. (Revised October 2018.)  View Details
    CiteView DetailsEducatorsPurchase Related

About the Author

Photo
Frank V. Cespedes
MBA Class of 1973 Senior Lecturer of Business Administration
Entrepreneurial Management

View Profile »
View Publications »

 

More from the Author

  • Article | Top Sales Magazine | February, 2019

    Sales Managers Must Manage

    Frank V. Cespedes

    Citation:

    Cespedes, Frank V. "Sales Managers Must Manage." Top Sales Magazine (February, 2019).  View Details
    CiteView Details Read Now Related
  • Case | HBS Case Collection | October 2018

    BreezoMeter: Making Air Pollution Data Actionable

    Frank V. Cespedes, Allison M. Ciechanover and Margot Eiran

    Israel-based startup providing actionable air pollution data wrestles with which markets and customers to focus on.

    Keywords: entrepreneurship; Sales; marketing; Startups; Business Startups; Pollution and Pollutants; Data and Data Sets; Sales; Marketing; Entrepreneurship; Decision Choices and Conditions; Technology Industry; Israel; United States;

    Citation:

    Cespedes, Frank V., Allison M. Ciechanover, and Margot Eiran. "BreezoMeter: Making Air Pollution Data Actionable." Harvard Business School Case 819-058, October 2018.  View Details
    CiteView DetailsEducators Related
  • Case | HBS Case Collection | November 2016 (Revised October 2018)

    Formlabs: Selling a New 3D Printer

    Frank V. Cespedes, Olivia Hull and Amram Migdal

    Headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, Formlabs manufactures 3D printers used to print everything from prototypes and models to jewelry, dental, and sculpture molds. As Formlabs prepares to ship its latest model, the Form 2, Head of Customer Development and Services Luke Winston wonders which strategy will double sales. Should he focus on direct sales or add more channel partners?

    Keywords: 3D printing and manufacturing; sales channel development; Sales strategy; entrepreneurial management; product engineering; prototype; prototyping; Entrepreneurship; Product Launch; Hardware; Business Startups; Customers; Technological Innovation; Growth and Development Strategy; Technology Adoption; Marketing Channels; Marketing Strategy; Product Positioning; Demand and Consumers; Sales; Salesforce Management; Technology Industry; Computer Industry; Manufacturing Industry; United States; Massachusetts; Europe; Asia;

    Citation:

    Cespedes, Frank V., Olivia Hull, and Amram Migdal. "Formlabs: Selling a New 3D Printer." Harvard Business School Case 817-001, November 2016. (Revised October 2018.)  View Details
    CiteView DetailsEducatorsPurchase Related
ǁ
Campus Map
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→ Map & Directions
→ More Contact Information
→ More Contact Information
→ More Contact Information
→ More Contact Information
  • HBS Facebook
  • Alumni Facebook
  • Executive Education Facebook
  • Michael Porter Facebook
  • Working Knowledge Facebook
  • HBS Twitter
  • Executive Education Twitter
  • HBS Alumni Twitter
  • Michael Porter Twitter
  • Recruiting Twitter
  • Rock Center Twitter
  • Working Knowledge Twitter
  • Jobs Twitter
  • HBS Youtube
  • Michael Porter Youtube
  • Executive Education Youtube
  • HBS Linkedin
  • Alumni Linkedin
  • Executive Education Linkedin
  • MBA Linkedin
  • Linkedin
  • HBS Instagram
  • Alumni Instagram
  • Executive Education Instagram
  • Michael Porter Instagram
  • HBS iTunes
  • Executive Education iTunes
  • HBS Tumblr
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College