More from these Authors

• Case | HBS Case Collection | February 2019

  Canibal—Play It Green!

  Frank V. Cespedes, Joseph B. Fuller, Tonia Labruyere and Elena Corsi

  In 2011, Canibal launched a machine that could sort and compress aluminum cans, plastic bottles, and cups. Users could play a jackpot-style game on the machine’s digital display, while disposing of their beverage containers and earning coupons or other rewards. The machine could also display advertising or serve as a communication tool. In 2016, the company's new machine, the i3, had more potential than earlier models, due to enhanced reliability and displays that could allow Canibal to pursue new markets. Benoit Paget, CEO and founder of Canibal, must choose a growth path: which customer segment should he focus on? How should he position his product? What would be the implications of these choices for marketing and sales requirements, pricing, and funding?

  Keywords: sales growth; recycling; start-up; scaling; market selection; Sales; Marketing; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; Segmentation; Product Positioning; Technology Industry; France;

  Citation:

  Cespedes, Frank V., Joseph B. Fuller, Tonia Labruyere, and Elena Corsi. "Canibal—Play It Green!" Harvard Business School Case 319-089, February 2019.  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | February 2019

  Theranos: The Unicorn that Wasn't

  Joseph B. Fuller and John Masko

  In 2003, 19-year-old Elizabeth Holmes founded a startup dedicated to making blood testing easier and more affordable. By 2015, her company, Theranos, was worth $9 billion. It boasted a star-studded board and contracts with national pharmacy and supermarket chains Walgreens and Safeway to bring Theranos technology, which could purportedly perform hundreds of tests with a pinprick of blood, to consumers around the country. Over the next few years, however, Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou published a series of articles demonstrating that Theranos’ proprietary technology produced inaccurate results, relied heavily on non-proprietary devices to perform its tests, and violated multiple regulatory standards. In 2018, after a three-year stream of revelations about the company’s operating practices, corporate culture, and technology, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged Theranos with fraud and the company soon collapsed.

  Keywords: Theranos; blood; lab testing; fraud; Holmes; Balwani; Shultz; Carreyrou; Securities and Exchange Commission; Food and Drug Administration; FDA; SEC; Health Testing and Trials; Corporate Accountability; Organizational Culture; Misleading and Fraudulent Advertising; Crime and Corruption; Entrepreneurship; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry;

  Citation:

  Fuller, Joseph B., and John Masko. "Theranos: The Unicorn that Wasn't." Harvard Business School Case 319-068, February 2019.  View Details

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• Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | January 2019

  The Golden Triangle: Back in Business (A)

  William R. Kerr, Joseph B. Fuller, Manjari Raman and Donald Maruyama

  Citation:

  Kerr, William R., Joseph B. Fuller, Manjari Raman, and Donald Maruyama. "The Golden Triangle: Back in Business (A)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 819-066, January 2019.  View Details

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