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  • February 2017
  • Case
  • HBS Case Collection

BlaBlaCar: The Road Ahead...

By: Karim R. Lakhani, Arun Sundararajan, Emilie Billaud and Caroline Caltagirone
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:35
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Abstract

In 2017, the co-founders of BlaBlaCar—the world’s largest long-distance carpooling company—reflected on the evolution of their venture and the way forward. BlaBlaCar had reached critical mass and size; yet staying still was not going to be enough to be relevant and competitive in the hyper competitive sharing economy sector. The co-founders felt that the time was now to capitalize on the trust that the platform had built with its members and explore adjacent opportunities. The options in front of them represented a wide variety of ways to grow, but how should the team prioritize and figure out which opportunities represented a viable business strategy for their company?

Keywords

Business Growth and Maturation; Business Startups; Transformation; Decision Making; Values and Beliefs; Growth and Development Strategy; Digital Platforms; Network Effects; Strategic Planning; Competitive Strategy; Expansion; Internet and the Web; Transportation Networks; Transportation Industry; Web Services Industry; France; Europe

Citation

Lakhani, Karim R., Arun Sundararajan, Emilie Billaud, and Caroline Caltagirone. "BlaBlaCar: The Road Ahead..." Harvard Business School Case 617-050, February 2017.
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About The Author

Karim R. Lakhani

Technology and Operations Management
→More Publications

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More from the Authors
  • Are Experts Blinded by Feasibility?: Experimental Evidence from a NASA Robotics Challenge By: Jacqueline N. Lane, Zoe Szajnfarber, Jason Crusan, Michael Menietti and Karim R. Lakhani
  • How Status of Research Papers Affects the Way They Are Read and Cited By: Misha Teplitskiy, Eamon Duede, Michael Menietti and Karim R. Lakhani
  • Just Arrived: Integrating Refugees in Sweden By: Brian Trelstad and Emilie Billaud
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