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- January–February 2023
- Article
External Interfaces and Internal Processes: Market Positioning and Divergent Professionalization Paths in Young Ventures
By: Alicia DeSantola, Ranjay Gulati and Pavel Zhelyazkov
We explore how the initial market positioning of entrepreneurial ventures shapes how they professionalize over time, focusing specifically on the development of functional roles. In contrast to existing literature, which has presumed a uniform march toward...
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- June 2022
- Teaching Note
Katie Couric Media: Landing the First Client
By: N. Louis Shipley, William R. Kerr and Paige Boehmcke
Developed for teaching Entrepreneurial Sales, the Katie Couric Media case supports class discussion on client selection, sales strategy, and scaling a startup media firm.
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- 2021
- Working Paper
Expanding the Entrepreneurial Cultural Toolkit: The Temporal Interplay of the Substantive and the Symbolic
By: Rebecca Karp and Siobhan O'Mahony
Much research shows how entrepreneurs leverage symbolic toolkits via storytelling and narratives to convince resource providers of their venture’s legitimacy. Although investors’ legitimacy concerns may be initially met with symbolic actions, it is unclear whether...
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- July 2020
- Case
Amanda and Kristen: Mented Cosmetics
By: Steven Rogers, Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Alterrell Mills
The co-founders (Black HBS alumnae) of an e-commerce beauty startup explore the unmet needs within the beauty industry. This case study examines the entrepreneurial opportunities that come from identifying an underserved market, specifically within the Black community...
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Keywords:
Brands and Branding;
Competition;
Customers;
Disruption;
Disruptive Innovation;
Distribution Channels;
Entrepreneurship;
Finance;
Macroeconomics;
Marketing;
Marketing Channels;
Marketing Communications;
Marketing Strategy;
Mission and Purpose;
Organizational Culture;
Product Design;
Product Development;
Product Positioning;
Sales;
Social Issues;
Social Marketing;
Business Startups;
Strategic Planning;
Strategy;
Supply Chain Management;
Venture Capital;
Beauty and Cosmetics Industry;
Advertising Industry;
Public Relations Industry;
Chemical Industry;
Manufacturing Industry;
Retail Industry;
North and Central America;
United States;
New York (city, NY);
New York (state, US)
- March 2020
- Case
Forbidden City: Launching a Craft Beer in China
By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Carole Carlson
This case describes a difficult choice faced by Victor Wang, Managing Director of Singapore-based Eurasian Brewing Company (EBC), concerning the competing product launch plans of Le Jie, Vice President of EBC's China and East Asian operations, and Vivian Chin, EBC's...
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- September 2019 (Revised August 2020)
- Case
Engineering an Inclusive Bioeconomy
By: Tarun Khanna, Raffaella Sadun and Susie L. Ma
In 2019, entrepreneur Juan Carlos Castilla-Rubio was developing a project he hoped could generate and share wealth from the natural resources of the Amazon without destroying those resources. His idea, called Earth Bank of Codes (EBC), would create a library of the...
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Keywords:
Decision Making;
Development Economics;
Entrepreneurship;
Innovation and Invention;
Intellectual Property;
Emerging Markets;
Market Design;
Marketplace Matching;
Science;
Genetics;
Natural Environment;
Environmental Sustainability;
Climate Change;
Social Enterprise;
Strategy;
Strategic Planning;
Information Technology;
Ownership;
Social Psychology;
Trust;
Society;
Biotechnology Industry;
South America;
Amazon Basin
- August 2019 (Revised February 2020)
- Case
New Hope Liuhe: Building an Integrated Agri-Food Business
By: Forest L. Reinhardt, Shu Lin, Natalie Kindred and Nancy Hua Dai
In October 2018, LIU Chang (Angela), chairman of Beijing-based New Hope Liuhe (NHL), was considering the strategy of the firm. With $9 billion in sales and a presence in nearly 20 countries, NHL was China’s largest animal feed producer and a major pork and poultry...
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Keywords:
Strategy;
Corporate Strategy;
Food;
Agribusiness;
Expansion;
Diversification;
Growth Management;
Consumer Behavior;
Change Management;
Entrepreneurship;
Organizational Structure;
Organizational Change and Adaptation;
Government and Politics;
Animal-Based Agribusiness;
Transformation;
Volatility;
Business Cycles;
Goods and Commodities;
Supply Chain;
Product;
Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry;
Food and Beverage Industry;
China;
Asia
- November 2018
- Case
Yatooq: Longing for Arabic Coffee
By: Mark Roberge, Gamze Yucaoglu and Samer Al-Rachedy
As one of the few female entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia, Lateefa Alwaalan had been trying to produce the perfect cup of Arabic coffee for over a decade. In 2007, she began testing various coffee blends, which she later branded Yatooq, the Arabic word for “craving” or...
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Keywords:
Entrepreneurial Sales;
Entrepreneurial Selling;
Entrepreneurial Marketing;
Barrier To Entry;
Business Start-ups;
Yatooq;
Entrepreneurship;
Private Sector;
For-Profit Firms;
Business Strategy;
Patents;
Business Startups;
Strategic Planning;
Competitive Strategy;
Adaptation;
Corporate Entrepreneurship;
Corporate Strategy;
Food and Beverage Industry;
Saudi Arabia;
Asia
- October 2018
- Case
Shield AI
By: Mitchell Weiss and A.J. Steinlage
Shield AI’s quadcopter – with no pilot and no flight plan – could clear a building and outpace human warfighters by almost five minutes. This was not to say that it was better than the warfighters or would replace their jobs, but it was evidence that autonomous robots...
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Keywords:
Public Entrepreneurship;
Artificial Intelligence;
AI;
Entrepreneurial Sales;
Government;
Defense;
Shield AI;
Brandon Tseng;
Ryan Tseng;
Andrew Reiter;
Robots;
Robotics;
UAV;
UAVs;
Government Sales;
Entrepreneurship;
Public Sector;
Sales;
Government Administration;
National Security;
Business and Government Relations;
AI and Machine Learning;
Technology Industry;
United States
- August 2018
- Teaching Note
IguanaFix
By: Frank V. Cespedes and Thomas Eisenmann
Teaching Note for HBS No. 817-056. IguanaFix, based in Argentina, is a platform business that connects consumers with home improvement contractors. The founders are evaluating growth options and an investment offer. The case focuses on scaling issues for a venture...
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- June 2018
- Case
Meridian Systems
By: Frank V. Cespedes and Michael J. Roberts
The Meridian Systems case focuses on a start-up in the restaurant point of sale (POS) systems market. In early 2018, Meridian is getting ready to roll out a POS system based on a new technology—a tablet-based, Wi-Fi-enabled POS system (the "tablet" system, or...
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- April 2018
- Teaching Note
Formlabs: Selling a New 3D Printer
By: Frank Cespedes
Teaching Note for HBS No. 817-001. Formlabs is a venture that manufactures and sells 3D printers used in a variety of industries and applications. As the young company prepares to ship its latest model, the head of Customer Development is tasked with developing a...
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Keywords:
3D Printing And Manufacturing;
Sales Channel Development;
Sales Strategy;
Entrepreneurial Management;
Product Engineering;
Prototype;
Prototyping;
Entrepreneurship;
Product Launch;
Information Infrastructure;
Business Startups;
Customers;
Technological Innovation;
Growth and Development Strategy;
Technology Adoption;
Marketing Channels;
Marketing Strategy;
Product Positioning;
Demand and Consumers;
Sales;
Salesforce Management;
Technology Industry;
Computer Industry;
Manufacturing Industry;
United States;
Massachusetts;
Europe;
Asia
- December 2017 (Revised March 2018)
- Case
Kellogg Company/eighteen94 capital
By: David Bell, Damien McLoughlin and Natalie Kindred
With 33,000 employees and revenues of $13 billion in 2016, Kellogg Company was the world’s largest producer of branded packaged cereal and a leader in branded convenience foods. Founded in 1906 and based in Michigan, the company had a proud history of product and...
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Keywords:
CPG;
Consumer Packaged Goods;
Cereal;
Battle Creek;
Michigan;
Breakfast;
Snack;
Agribusiness;
Change Management;
Growth Strategy;
Corporate Venture Capital;
Innovation;
Startup;
Brand;
Brand ＆ Product Management;
Advertising;
Demand and Consumers;
Innovation and Invention;
Venture Capital;
Food;
Brands and Branding;
Marketing;
Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry;
Food and Beverage Industry;
Consumer Products Industry;
United States;
Michigan;
North America
- December 2017 (Revised January 2018)
- Case
Alltech
By: David E. Bell and Natalie Kindred
Alltech was a Lexington, Kentucky–based producer of supplements for animal feed, with revenues of over $2 billion (projected to reach $3 billion in 2018), sales in 120 countries, 5,000 employees, and 100 manufacturing plants worldwide. For nearly four decades, Alltech...
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Keywords:
Alltech;
United States;
Agribusiness;
Agriculture;
Animal;
Animal Agriculture;
Animal Feed;
Livestock;
Family Business;
Vertical Integration;
Strategy;
Growth;
Feed Additives;
Feed Supplements;
Kentucky;
Growth Strategy;
Family Businesses;
Animal-Based Agribusiness;
Acquisition;
Business Growth and Maturation;
Business Model;
Change Management;
Trends;
Governance;
Entrepreneurship;
Growth and Development;
Intellectual Property;
Leadership;
Management;
Markets;
Organizational Culture;
Private Ownership;
Science;
Quality;
Risk and Uncertainty;
Research;
Sales;
Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry;
Pharmaceutical Industry;
United States;
Kentucky;
Brazil;
China
- February 2017
- Teaching Note
Oversight Systems
By: Frank Cespedes
This Teaching Note accompanies the case, set in May 2016, which discusses sales strategy and channel partnerships at Oversight Systems, an early stage software firm that developed analytics for organizations to monitor their data for errors, fraud, and operational...
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- January 2017
- Teaching Note
Transition at DataCo?
The founder of a data analytics company has several issues with his key business developer, an early hire who has been instrumental in building the firm. The DataCo case study illustrates a common situation in entrepreneurial ventures: an early sales hire does well but...
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- November 2016 (Revised October 2018)
- Case
Augmedix
By: Frank V. Cespedes and Alexandra N. Rachlin
In April 2015, Ian Shakil and Pelu Tran, cofounders of Augmedix, are discussing how to grow their emerging health care startup. The company’s sole product, also called Augmedix, streams video of doctor-patient interactions to remote medical scribes, thus freeing...
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- November 2016 (Revised October 2018)
- Case
IguanaFix
By: Frank V. Cespedes, Thomas R. Eisenmann, Maria Fernanda Miguel and Laura Urdapilleta
IguanaFix is a rapidly scaling Latin American startup that provides an online platform connecting consumers with home improvement contractors. The founders have acquired customers through both B2C and B2B methods. But in seeking to grow and scale the business, they now...
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- November 2016 (Revised April 2017)
- Case
Basecamp: Pricing
By: Frank Cespedes and Robb Fitzsimmons
A data analyst at Basecamp is evaluating the results of pricing research and its potential implications for the venture’s latest version of its project management software product.
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Keywords:
Pricing;
Entrepreneurial Management;
Data Analysis;
Marketing;
Customer Acquisition;
Customer Retention;
Value Proposition;
Sales Management;
Product Management;
Market Research;
Life Time Value;
Testing;
Entrepreneurship;
Analytics and Data Science;
Customers;
Value;
Sales;
Product Marketing;
United States
- November 2016 (Revised October 2018)
- Case
Formlabs: Selling a New 3D Printer
By: Frank V. Cespedes, Olivia Hull and Amram Migdal
Headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, Formlabs manufactures 3D printers used to print everything from prototypes and models to jewelry, dental, and sculpture molds. As Formlabs prepares to ship its latest model, the Form 2, Head of Customer Development and...
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Keywords:
3D Printing And Manufacturing;
Sales Channel Development;
Sales Strategy;
Entrepreneurial Management;
Product Engineering;
Prototype;
Prototyping;
Entrepreneurship;
Product Launch;
Information Infrastructure;
Business Startups;
Customers;
Technological Innovation;
Growth and Development Strategy;
Technology Adoption;
Marketing Channels;
Marketing Strategy;
Product Positioning;
Demand and Consumers;
Sales;
Salesforce Management;
Technology Industry;
Computer Industry;
Manufacturing Industry;
United States;
Massachusetts;
Europe;
Asia