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Organizational structures are increasingly complex. In particular, more firms today operate as multi-sided platforms. In this paper, we study how...
Platforms power the world’s most valuable companies, but it will get harder and harder to capture and monetize their disruptive potential.
- 2021
- Working Paper
Beefing IT Up for Your Investor? Open Sourcing and Startup Funding: Evidence from Github
By: Annamaria Conti, Christian Peukert and Maria Roche
We study the participation of nascent firms in open-source communities and its implications for attracting VC funding. To do so, we exploit unique data on 160,065 US startups linking information from Crunchbase to firms' GitHub accounts. Estimating a within-startup...
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- June 2021
- Case
Akira Fukabori and Kevin Kajitani at avatarin (A)
By: Linda A. Hill and Emily Tedards
In 2016, Akira Fukabori and Kevin Kajitani, aeronautical engineers at All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd., began to wonder why, in a world of accelerating globalization and digital connectivity, those who lived in far-remote villages or impoverished urban areas could not...
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Keywords:
Agility;
Ecosystem;
Innovation Ecosystems;
Crowdsourcing;
Open Innovation;
Partnership;
Government;
Collaboration;
Co-creation;
Purpose;
Impact;
Social Impact;
Movement;
Organizational Behavior;
Organizational Ambidexterity;
Ambidexterity;
Culture;
Culture Change;
Global Teams;
Experimentation;
Space;
Airline Industry;
Start-up;
Platform Business;
Platform Strategy;
Platform;
Digital;
Robotics;
Robots;
Mobility;
Strategy;
COVID-19;
Intrapreneurship;
Public-private Partnership;
XPRIZE;
Space Industry;
Avatar;
Telepresence;
Innovation Lab;
Innovation and Invention;
Technological Innovation;
Partners and Partnerships;
Collaborative Innovation and Invention;
Alignment;
Leadership;
Leading Change;
Diversity;
Organizational Culture;
Change Management;
Entrepreneurship;
Transportation Industry;
Aerospace Industry;
Japan
- June 2021
- Case
Akira Fukabori and Kevin Kajitani at avatarin (A) (Abridged)
By: Linda A. Hill and Emily Tedards
In 2016, Akira Fukabori and Kevin Kajitani, aeronautical engineers at All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd., began to wonder why, in a world of accelerating globalization and digital connectivity, those who lived in far-remote villages or impoverished urban areas could not...
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Keywords:
Agility;
Ecosystem;
Innovation Ecosystems;
Innovation;
Crowdsourcing;
XPRIZE;
Open Innovation;
Partnership;
Government;
Collaboration;
Co-creation;
Purpose;
Impact;
Social Impact;
Movement;
Organizational Behavior;
Organizational Ambidexterity;
Ambidexterity;
Culture;
Culture Change;
Global Teams;
Experimentation;
Space;
Space Industry;
Airline Industry;
Start-up;
Platform Business;
Platform Strategy;
Platform;
Digital;
Robotics;
Robots;
Avatar;
Telepresence;
Innovation Lab;
Mobility;
COVID-19;
Intrapreneurship;
Public-private Partnership;
Innovation and Invention;
Technological Innovation;
Partners and Partnerships;
Collaborative Innovation and Invention;
Alignment;
Leadership;
Leading Change;
Diversity;
Organizational Culture;
Change Management;
Strategy;
Entrepreneurship;
Transportation Industry;
Aerospace Industry;
Japan
- May 2021
- Case
Melissa Wood Health: How to Win in the Creator Economy
By: Eva Ascarza
In October 2020, Melissa Wood-Tepperberg, founder of the digital subscription wellness platform Melissa Wood Health (MWH) and creator of ‘The MWH Method,’ was evaluating the strategic directions of her company. What had started as a way to share workouts and wellness...
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- May 2021
- Teaching Note
THE YES: Reimagining the Future of E-Commerce with Artificial Intelligence (AI)
By: Ayelet Israeli and Jill Avery
THE YES, a multi-brand shopping app launched in May 2020 offered a new type of buying experience for women’s fashion, driven by a sophisticated algorithm that used data science and machine learning to create and deliver a personalized store for every shopper, based on...
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Keywords:
Data;
Data Analytics;
Artificial Intelligence;
AI;
AI Algorithms;
AI Creativity;
Fashion;
Retail;
Retail Analytics;
Digital Marketing;
E-commerce;
E-Commerce Strategy;
Platform;
Platforms;
Big Data;
Preference Elicitation;
Predictive Analytics;
App Development;
＂Marketing Analytics＂;
Advertising;
Mobile App;
Mobile Marketing;
Apparel;
Referral Rewards;
Referrals;
Female Ceo;
Female Entrepreneur;
Female Protagonist;
Data and Data Sets;
Analysis;
Creativity;
Marketing Strategy;
Brands and Branding;
Consumer Behavior;
Demand and Consumers;
Forecasting and Prediction;
Marketing Channels;
Online Advertising;
Online Technology;
Mobile Technology;
Fashion Industry;
Retail Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Consumer Products Industry;
United States
- April 2021
- Case
Codecademy: Where to Next?
By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Max Mailman and Sarah Ascherman
In March 2020, Zach Sims, co-founder and CEO of online education platform Codecademy, prepared for a meeting with his Chief of Staff Kunal Ahuja to discuss the company’s goals. Codecademy billed itself as the largest online resource for computer science literacy and...
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Keywords:
Monetization Strategy;
Business Model;
Change Management;
Venture Capital;
Leading Change;
Growth and Development Strategy;
Growth Management;
Management Teams;
Marketing Channels;
Product Marketing;
Network Effects;
Product Development;
Organizational Change and Adaptation;
Strategic Planning;
Online Technology;
Technology Platform;
United States
- April 2021 (Revised April 2021)
- Case
StockX: The Stock Market of Things (Abridged)
By: Chiara Farronato, John J. Horton, Annelena Lobb and Julia Kelley
Founded in 2015 by Dan Gilbert, Josh Luber, and Greg Schwartz, StockX was an online platform where users could buy and sell unworn luxury and limited-edition sneakers. Sneaker resale prices often fluctuated over time based on supply and demand, creating a robust...
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Keywords:
Markets;
Auctions;
Bids and Bidding;
Demand and Consumers;
Consumer Behavior;
Data and Data Sets;
Market Design;
Market Platforms;
Two-Sided Platforms;
Multi-Sided Platforms;
Market Transactions;
Marketplace Matching;
Supply and Industry;
Analysis;
Price;
Product Marketing;
Product Launch;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Fashion Industry;
North and Central America;
United States;
Michigan;
Detroit
- March 2021
- Case
Litigation Finance 2.0: LexShares
By: Lauren Cohen, Spencer C. N. Hagist and Yago Zavalia Gahan
Litigation finance—also referred to as third party litigation funding—was in its relative infancy as an asset class when Jay Greenberg and Max Volsky made a platform-play in the space. Seven years later, the market was far from "mainstream," but nonetheless had grown...
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- March 2021
- Supplement
Facebook's Libra (B): The Privatization of Money?
This case addresses the events that took place following the conclusion of the case “Facebook’s Libra (A): The Privatization of Money?” In October 2019, several months after the conclusion of the A case, multiple members of the Libra Association announced that they...
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Keywords:
Blockchain;
Cryptocurrency;
Accounting;
Economics;
Money;
Governance;
Governing and Advisory Boards;
Policy;
Governance Controls;
Innovation and Invention;
Innovation Strategy;
Technological Innovation;
Disruptive Innovation;
Technology;
Technology Platform;
Technology Networks;
Technology Industry;
Europe;
Switzerland;
United States;
California
- March 2021 (Revised March 2021)
- Case
Hotwire.com: Navigating Through Turbulence
By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Manny de Zarraga and Eric Levine
On September 10, 2001, after speaking at an industry conference at New York’s World Trade Center, Hotwire co-founder Spencer Rascoff boarded a flight from Newark to San Francisco. After returning home, Rascoff awoke the next morning to a phone call informing him that...
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Keywords:
September 11;
Corporate Entrepreneurship;
Business Growth and Maturation;
Disruption;
Decisions;
Job Cuts and Outsourcing;
Growth Management;
Two-Sided Platforms;
Problems and Challenges;
Risk and Uncertainty;
Expansion;
Internet;
Online Technology;
Web Sites;
Leading Change;
Leadership Style;
Air Transportation Industry;
Tourism Industry;
San Francisco
- March 2021
- Teaching Note
Afterpay U.S.: The Omnichannel Dilemma
By: Antonio Moreno and Anibha Singh
In 2018, Nick Molnar, the founder of the Australia-based online payment service Afterpay began its expansion to the U.S. market. The service had gained a loyal following in Australia by enabling customers to pay for online purchases through four interest-free...
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Keywords:
Online Advertising;
Business Startups;
Business Growth and Maturation;
Business Model;
Business Organization;
For-Profit Firms;
Change Management;
Customer Value and Value Chain;
Customer Relationship Management;
Customer Satisfaction;
Financing and Loans;
Microfinance;
Global Strategy;
Marketing Strategy;
Market Entry and Exit;
Market Platforms;
Multi-Sided Platforms;
Product Development;
Supply Chain Management;
Business and Stakeholder Relations;
Networks;
Network Effects;
Online Technology;
Financial Services Industry;
Technology Industry;
United States;
Australia
- March 2021
- Case
Seeding and Selling Asana
By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Susie Ma and Amram Migdal
In December 2019, Oliver Jay, Asana’s Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), was reconsidering his go-to-market (GTM) strategy. Asana was cloud-based work management software that enabled users to break up projects into discrete tasks that could be assigned, scheduled, and...
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Keywords:
SaaS;
Customer Journey;
Business Model;
Business Organization;
Change Management;
Growth and Development Strategy;
Growth Management;
Marketing Channels;
Marketing Strategy;
Product Marketing;
Organizational Change and Adaptation;
Organizational Design;
Organizational Structure;
Technology Platform;
Online Technology;
Technology Industry;
United States
- February 2021
- Case
Threadless: The Renewal of an Online Community
By: Shane Greenstein, Karim Lakhani and Christian Godwin
Threadless, an online apparel company and artist community which Jake Nickell founded in 2000, continued to maintain its status as a top company in the online apparel industry during its second decade. From 2010 to 2020, Threadless continued to operate its...
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Keywords:
Business Model;
Decision Making;
Entrepreneurship;
Innovation and Invention;
Leading Change;
Management;
Marketing;
Product Launch;
Operations;
Supply Chain;
Distribution;
Networks;
Sales;
Strategy;
Adaptation;
Technology;
Software;
Technology Platform;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Technology Industry;
North America
- February 2021 (Revised June 2021)
- Case
Brainlab: Imaging a MedTech Future
By: Regina E. Herzlinger, Gregory P. Licholai and Federica Gabrieli
Can Brainlab, a privately held firm, compete with giants like Medtronic and Amazon in delivering the Digital Operating Room of the future? The CEO is pondering solutions for secure exchange of medical information, pricing a new robotic imaging device, and reorganizing...
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Keywords:
Surgery;
Robotics;
Health Care;
Private Healthcare;
Pricing;
Technology Platform;
Acquisition;
Business Growth and Maturation;
Growth and Development Strategy;
Business Strategy;
Corporate Strategy;
Corporate Entrepreneurship;
Health Care and Treatment;
Health;
Innovation and Invention;
Innovation and Management;
Innovation Strategy;
Technological Innovation;
Software;
Hardware;
Information Technology;
Health Industry;
Europe;
Germany;
Munich
- February 2021 (Revised March 2021)
- Case
Shopify: The Conquest for Chinese E-Commerce
By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Avani Patel, Ariel Yang and Samantha Lin
In mid-2020, Tobias Lütke, CEO of Shopify, faced a critical decision on how to time potential expansion into the China market. Over the prior 15 years, his Canadian software-as-a-service company had grown from a small e-commerce solutions provider to a full service...
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Keywords:
E-commerce;
Timing;
Corporate Entrepreneurship;
Service Operations;
Business Model;
Organizational Design;
Change Management;
Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues;
Global Strategy;
Health Pandemics;
Growth Management;
Marketing Strategy;
Technology Platform;
Alliances;
Partners and Partnerships;
Opportunities;
Online Technology;
United States;
Canada;
China
- February 2021 (Revised July 2021)
- Case
TikTok in 2020: Super App or Supernova?
By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Dan Maher and Dan O'Brien
TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, was launched in 2012 around a simple idea – helping users entertain themselves on their smartphones while on the Beijing Subway. In less than a decade, it had become one of the world’s most valuable private companies, with investors...
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Keywords:
Business Model;
Business Startups;
Business Organization;
Change Management;
Disruption;
Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues;
Global Strategy;
Health Pandemics;
Innovation Strategy;
Growth and Development Strategy;
Growth Management;
Brands and Branding;
Marketing Strategy;
Marketing Channels;
Network Effects;
Two-Sided Platforms;
Product Design;
Product Development;
Partners and Partnerships;
Opportunities;
Social Issues;
Mobile Technology;
Online Technology;
Value Creation;
United States;
China
- February 2021
- Teaching Plan
Soofa: Displaying the Right Path?
By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Amy Klopfenstein
This teaching plan serves as a supplement to the case “Soofa: Displaying the Right Path?” HBS 820-098. The case explores the tension between two different financing and expansion plans for a startup, and explores issues related to business model pivots and industry...
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Keywords:
Business Ventures;
Business Model;
Business Plan;
Business Startups;
Entrepreneurship;
Decision Making;
Decisions;
Judgments;
Ethics;
Geography;
Geopolitical Units;
Finance;
Investment;
Markets;
Market Entry and Exit;
Demand and Consumers;
Media;
Society;
Urban Development;
Sustainable Cities;
Technology;
Hardware;
Technology Platform;
Strategy;
Business Strategy;
Expansion;
Relationships;
Capital;
Venture Capital;
Advertising Industry;
Technology Industry;
Media and Broadcasting Industry;
North and Central America;
United States;
Massachusetts;
Cambridge
- 2021
- Working Paper
Assessing the Strength of Network Effects in Social Network Platforms
By: Marco Iansiti
Network effects have risen to the forefront of platform competition discussions (e.g. the House Judiciary investigation of competition in digital markets, claiming that Facebook, for example, is entrenched due to strong network effects and high switching costs). While...
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- February 2021 (Revised March 2021)
- Case
AptDeco: Circular Economy Furniture Marketplace
By: Ayelet Israeli and Jamie Merkrebs
AptDeco, a used furniture marketplace, was growing rapidly in the tri-state area. The co-founders were confident that the business model, financial position, and unit economics positioned AptDeco for scaling in the massive $120 billion furniture market, despite its...
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Keywords:
E-commerce;
E-Commerce Strategy;
Mobile;
Digital Marketing;
Word-of-Mouth;
Word-of-mouth Marketing;
Word Of Mouth;
Internet Marketing;
Growth Strategy;
Platform;
Platforms;
Two Sided Markets;
Two-sided Market;
Two-sided Marketplace;
Two-Sided Markets;
Two-sided Network;
Black Entrepreneurs;
Black Leadership;
African Americans;
Circular;
Peer-to-peer Markets;
Furniture Industry;
Furniture;
Growth Hacking;
Monetization Strategy;
Growth Management;
Marketing Strategy;
Entrepreneurship;
Market Platforms;
Marketing Channels;
Online Advertising;
Consumer Behavior;
Acquisition;
Growth and Development Strategy;
Two-Sided Platforms;
Customer Focus and Relationships;
Retail Industry;
Consumer Products Industry;
Technology Industry;
Web Services Industry;
United States;
North America;
New York (city, NY);
New York (state, US)
- February 2021
- Case
China Rapid Finance: The Collapse of China’s P2P Lending Industry
By: William C. Kirby, Bonnie Yining Cao and John P. McHugh
China’s peer-to-peer (P2P) lending industry had over 3,000 platforms at its height in 2015. China Risk Finance (CRF) was one of the country’s P2P success stories. With over 1 million borrowers using CRF’s platform, it raised $60 million in its 2016 IPO on the New York...
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