Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • February 2023
  • Case
  • HBS Case Collection

Enstitute

By: Lindsay N. Hyde, Thomas R. Eisenmann, Kumba Sennaar and Sarah Mehta
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:16
ShareBar

Abstract

Shaila Ittycheria (MBA ’10) founded the nonprofit organization Enstitute, in 2012 in New York City. Determined to challenge the status quo within higher education, Shaila and her cofounder sought to expand opportunities for talented young people by placing them in apprenticeships in New York’s emerging startup ecosystem. For their inaugural program, Enstitute received 700 applications for just 11 available apprenticeships. Based on the strong demand from aspiring apprentices, Ittycheria, her co-founder, and their Board of Directors decide to scale Enstitute’s model outside of New York City. The team launches apprentice cohorts in both Washington D.C. and New York in 2013, with plans to launch in Miami the following year. As the organization scales, Ittycheria begins to doubt the growth plan. Fundraising efforts have lagged, and Enstitute has struggled to hire a program manager to serve as the support structure for the apprentices and companies--a critical role designed to replicate Ittycheria's own highly effective coaching style. With the Miami launch fast approaching, Ittycheria must decide whether she should appease her board, co-founder, and donors by going ahead with the launch, or listen to her inner critic and pause Enstitute’s growth until she has confidence in the model and its ability to scale.

Keywords

Social Entrepreneurship; Operations; Business Startups; Business Growth and Maturation; Education Industry; Employment Industry; United States

Citation

Hyde, Lindsay N., Thomas R. Eisenmann, Kumba Sennaar, and Sarah Mehta. "Enstitute." Harvard Business School Case 823-008, February 2023.
  • Educators
  • Purchase

About The Authors

Lindsay N. Hyde

Entrepreneurial Management
→More Publications

Thomas R. Eisenmann

Entrepreneurial Management
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • May 2025
    • Faculty Research

    Lowe’s: Improving the Total Home Strategy

    By: Elie Ofek and Sarah Mehta
    • April 2025
    • Faculty Research

    Jamie Dimon: Navigating the DEI Backlash

    By: Joseph L. Badaracco and Sarah Mehta
    • March 2025
    • Faculty Research

    FIELD Immersion: Columbus, Ohio

    By: Allison Mnookin and Sarah Mehta
More from the Authors
  • Lowe’s: Improving the Total Home Strategy By: Elie Ofek and Sarah Mehta
  • Jamie Dimon: Navigating the DEI Backlash By: Joseph L. Badaracco and Sarah Mehta
  • FIELD Immersion: Columbus, Ohio By: Allison Mnookin and Sarah Mehta
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College.