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Case | HBS Case Collection | July 2019

Instabeat—One More Lap?

by Shikhar Ghosh, Nicole Tempest Keller and Alpana Thapar

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Abstract

This case follows Lebanese entrepreneur, Hind Hobeika, an engineer and competitive swimmer who spends seven years trying to launch a wearable heartrate monitor and motion sensor to help swimmers track their performance while swimming. While the Beirut-based entrepreneur gained initial traction soon after founding her company Instabeat in September 2011, winning $150,000 in prize money from business plan competitions and raising $100,000 from a local venture capital firm, Hobeika soon faced a series of set-backs in trying to manufacture the product. Given the complexity of the hardware product she was trying to build, Hobeika had invested a significant amount of capital in the manufacturing design and had faced continuous delays. In addition, the product was not proving to be economically viable. By early 2016, Hobeika was out of money and had to let her team go. The business issues had also taken a toll on her personal life. However, Hobeika saw a potential path forward. The VC who had originally backed her was closing a new round of funding and was willing to discuss another potential round. More importantly, while in London, she had recently met Alex Asseily, a prominent Lebanese-British entrepreneur who encouraged her to stay the course. He suggested that she relocate to San Francisco, where he would soon be based, and offered to help her. Would it be worthwhile to leave everything behind, relocate, and rebuild the business? Hobeika had to decide—should she continue or not? If so, under what circumstances? If not, what would she do next?

Keywords: Startup; manufacturing; prototyping; female protagonist; Business Startups; Decision Making; Entrepreneurship; Hardware; Technology; Design; Organizational Culture; United States; Lebanon;

Language: English Format: Print 23 pages EducatorsPurchase

Citation:

Ghosh, Shikhar, Nicole Tempest Keller, and Alpana Thapar. "Instabeat—One More Lap?" Harvard Business School Case 820-005, July 2019.

Related Work

  1. Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | October 2019

    Instabeat—One More Lap?

    Shikhar Ghosh and Shweta Bagai

    Teaching Note for HBS No 820-005.

    Citation:

    Ghosh, Shikhar, and Shweta Bagai. "Instabeat—One More Lap?" Harvard Business School Teaching Note 820-067, October 2019.  View Details
    CiteView DetailsPurchase Related

About the Author

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Shikhar Ghosh
Professor of Management Practice
Entrepreneurial Management

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More from the Author

  • Case | HBS Case Collection | May 2017 (Revised November 2019)

    The Dubai International Film Festival

    Rohit Deshpandé and Alpana Thapar

    This case follows the conception and emergence of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). In an already crowded and highly competitive industry, Abdulhamid Juma was attempting to define and establish a unique brand positioning for DIFF. Committed to its vision, Juma led the introduction of various initiatives over the years and was able to effectively grow the festival’s profile amid emerging regional and well-established global players like the Cannes, Sundance, and Toronto film festivals. By the end of 2016, Juma found himself at a crossroads. Could he continue to follow the historical strategy, or was it time to consider a change in order to take it the next level? What would be the best strategy for ensuring DIFF’s survival for many years to come?

    Keywords: brand positioning; underdog brand building; business models; competitive strategy; decision making; non-profit; managing multiple stakeholders; Film Entertainment; Brands and Branding; Business Model; Competitive Strategy; Decision Making; Growth and Development Strategy; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Motion Pictures and Video Industry;

    Citation:

    Deshpandé, Rohit, and Alpana Thapar. "The Dubai International Film Festival." Harvard Business School Case 517-110, May 2017. (Revised November 2019.)  View Details
    CiteView DetailsEducatorsPurchase Related
  • Case | HBS Case Collection | November 2019

    Edita: Making Choices in Uncertain Times

    Caroline M. Elkins, Juan Alcacer, Alpana Thapar and Youssef Abdel Aal

    After 15 years of steady growth and expansion, Edita, a leading Egyptian snack producer, faced a series of challenges in the wake of the Arab Spring. In January 2011, the Egyptian Revolution sparked political and economic turmoil that reflected the waves of protest and violence already spreading throughout North Africa and parts of the Middle East. Hani Berzi, CEO of Edita, managed to navigate the company through this period, though the severe devaluation of the Egyptian pound in November 2016 meant yet another period of crisis for the country’s economy and, with it, the snack food industry. Hani was faced with a series of hard decisions that would determine Edita’s future. He held a crisis management meeting with his executive team and on the agenda were two key decisions. Should they increase their prices as a short-term strategy to survive the turbulent period at the risk of losing market share? Should Edita aim to diversify risk by tapping into underserved rural areas in Egypt or rather by expanding its presence in regional markets? Or, should the company adopt some combination of both strategies, or neither, and instead devise another course for addressing the crisis?

    Keywords: Decision Making; Developing Countries and Economies; Economy; Business or Company Management; Price; Crisis Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Distribution; Risk and Uncertainty; Business Strategy; Expansion; Currency; Food and Beverage Industry; Egypt; Africa; Middle East;

    Citation:

    Elkins, Caroline M., Juan Alcacer, Alpana Thapar, and Youssef Abdel Aal. " Edita: Making Choices in Uncertain Times." Harvard Business School Case 320-026, November 2019.  View Details
    CiteView DetailsEducators Related
  • Exercise | October 2019

    Business Model Exercise: Purpose and Overview

    Shikhar Ghosh and Christopher Payton

    Citation:

    Ghosh, Shikhar, and Christopher Payton. "Business Model Exercise: Purpose and Overview." Harvard Business School Exercise 820-708, October 2019.  View Details
    CiteView DetailsPurchase Related
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