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  • September 2019 (Revised October 2019)
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Burunda Prince at The Farm, a Comcast NBCUniversal Innovation Hub (Powered by Boomtown)

By: Linda A. Hill, Eric Mankin and Emily Tedards
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:28
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Abstract

After a successful inaugural year, Burunda Prince, the Managing Director of Comcast’s startup business accelerator The Farm, was getting ready for an eventful 2019. Comcast was America's largest cable and internet service provider, having built a profitable business bundling television content and delivering it via cable networks to more than 20 million households. The business was changing rapidly with the rise of streaming services, and The Farm was an initiative spearheaded by Comcast’s Central Division to introduce innovation into the Division’s culture. The case describes Prince’s approach in building The Farm from her arrival in August 2017, with discussions around how she chose participants for The Farm’s programs; how she worked with Comcast and with her employer, Boomtown Accelerators, who was under contract to run The Farm for Comcast; and how she developed her Atlanta ecosystem of startups, investors, and mentors. Should the business accelerator maintain its position as a general business accelerator, or should it focus on areas specific to Comcast? Should it maintain the same curriculum structure for its accelerator programs? This case can be taught as a standalone case, or with its counterpart, HBS No. 420-056, “Bill Connors and The Farm, a Comcast NBCUniversal Innovation Hub (Powered by Boomtown),” which precedes this one and focuses on Comcast’s rationale for launching a corporate startup accelerator.

Keywords

Innovation; Accelerator; Entrepreneur; Startup; Outsourcing; Hiring; Talent; Culture; Ecosystem; Digital; Women; African Americans; Leadership; Innovation and Invention; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Management; Diversity; Selection and Staffing; Organizational Culture; Media; Entertainment; Transformation; Atlanta

Citation

Hill, Linda A., Eric Mankin, and Emily Tedards. "Burunda Prince at The Farm, a Comcast NBCUniversal Innovation Hub (Powered by Boomtown)." Harvard Business School Case 420-057, September 2019. (Revised October 2019.)
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About The Author

Linda A. Hill

Organizational Behavior
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Related Work

    • September 2019 (Revised October 2019)
    • Faculty Research

    Burunda Prince at The Farm, a Comcast NBCUniversal Innovation Hub (Powered by Boomtown)

    By: Linda A. Hill, Eric Mankin and Emily Tedards
Related Work
  • Burunda Prince at The Farm, a Comcast NBCUniversal Innovation Hub (Powered by Boomtown) By: Linda A. Hill, Eric Mankin and Emily Tedards
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