Case | HBS Case Collection | March 2017

CIC: Catalyzing Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (A)

by William R. Kerr, Sari Kerr and Alexis Brownell

Abstract

CIC creates "entrepreneurial ecosystems," renting out office and co-working space to start-ups and related companies and providing basic business needs like Wi-Fi and legal advice. Founder Tim Rowe refers to the CIC as "innovation infrastructure," bringing together money, talent, and ideas in one place. Founded in Cambridge in 1999, CIC has since grown to become one of the largest concentrations of entrepreneurial activity in the world and has expanded to multiple locations across the Boston area. Rowe envisions taking this model to cities across the world, and CIC is in fact about to open a new branch in St. Louis, its first location outside greater Boston. He is concerned, though, because one month from opening day, CIC still has a lot of empty space and few clients signed up. Rowe and his team have to consider how to quickly bring in more clients before opening day, and, more broadly, whether the CIC idea will work outside the Boston/Cambridge area.

Keywords: entrepreneurship; start-ups; Boston; Cambridge; St. Louis; CIC; Cambridge Innovation Center; co-working space; entrepreneurial ecosystems; innovation ecosystems; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Business Offices; Innovation and Invention;

Language: English Format: Print 21 pages EducatorsPurchase

Citation:

Kerr, William R., Sari Kerr, and Alexis Brownell. "CIC: Catalyzing Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (A)." Harvard Business School Case 817-126, March 2017.

Related Work

  1. Supplement | HBS Case Collection | April 2017

    CIC: Catalyzing Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (B)

    William R. Kerr, Sari Kerr and Alexis Brownell

    CIC engages in "guerrilla warfare," offering free or highly discounted rates in order to get its empty offices filled before the opening day of its St. Louis branch. Opening day is a huge success, and CIC St. Louis grows rapidly, even opening a second building. In the following years, it ramps up its expansion efforts and opens new branches or begins the expansion process in multiple cities around the country and the world, as well as expanding its Boston/Cambridge offerings. CIC is now considering how to improve its expansion operations, while also trying to figure out how fast it should be moving.

    Keywords: entrepreneurship; start-ups; Boston; Cambridge; St. Louis; CIC; Cambridge Innovation Center; co-working space; entrepreneurial ecosystems; innovation ecosystems; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Expansion; Growth and Development Strategy; Boston; Cambridge; St. Louis;

    Citation:

    Kerr, William R., Sari Kerr, and Alexis Brownell. "CIC: Catalyzing Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 817-127, April 2017.  View Details
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About the Author

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William R. Kerr
Dimitri V. D'Arbeloff - MBA Class of 1955 Professor of Business Administration
Entrepreneurial Management

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