Bethany Coates, Andrew Rachleff
2008
Carl Russo, CEO of optical equipment maker Cerent Corporation, leaned back in his desk chair and reflected on the recent developments at his company. Cerent had just filed its S-1 registration document with the SEC on July 22, 1999, and was now less than…
R. Ellis, Garth Saloner, Amanda Silverman
2008
In the tenth year of their business, Circles’ co-founders, Janet Kraus and Kathy Sherbrooke, had completed a successful exit for their company. They had worked closely for years, building their early venture into a leading provider of concierge services…
William Barnett, Gary Mekikian
2008
In 1991, former engineering professor Dr. Irwin Jacobs and his team of top-notch scientists and engineers were preparing to take public Qualcomm, their budding wireless communications company. They had proven that their technological approach to wireless…
Sean Harrington, Garth Saloner
2008
By 2008, Databank had built a reputation as one of Ghana’s premiere companies, earning the #1 ranking in Ghana’s Most Respected Company and CEO annual awards. Founded in 1990 by Ken Ofori-Atta, Keli Gadzekpo, and James Akpo, Databank had grown from a…
Katherine Bose, R. Ellis
2008
The protagonist,David Dodson, is a second-time search fund entrepreneur who in mid-2004 purchased Mountain Auto, a leading auto parts retailer in the Rocky Mountain United States. The venture started off strong, and Dodson grew the organization along with…
Dick Allen, Bethany Coates
2008
Kim D. Blickenstaff, President and CEO of Diagenx, a developer of a next generation technology for continuous insulin infusion therapy, headed into the office one morning in August 2008. As he drove through the San Diego streets, he thought about a…
David Hoyt, Hayagreeva Rao
2008
Intuit’s “Spotlight” employee recognition system had rapidly become an integral part of the company’s culture after it was introduced in late 2004. The program enabled any employee to recognize outstanding performance by any other employee by sending an…
Sean Harrington, Garth Saloner
2008
It was July 2007, and Linda Rottenberg, cofounder and CEO of Endeavor—a nonprofit dedicated to transforming the economies of emerging markets by identifying and supporting high-impact entrepreneurs—was preparing for a quarterly meeting with the global…
Katherine Bose, Garth Saloner
2008
The protagonist is Gina Bianchini, a 32-year-old GSB graduate recovering from having co-founded a well-funded, well-led, but failed tech company. When presented with the opportunity of starting a new company in the social networking space with her former…
William Barnett, Jae-Gu Kim, Mooweon Rhee
2008
At the turn of the 21st century, Korea’s Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) announced ambitious plans to become a global leader in the automotive industry. It established plants in Europe, India, and North America, and in 2002, turned its attention to China…
Jocelyn Hornblower, Dennis Rohan
2008
This note explores the idea identification stage of becoming an entrepreneur. It covers common sources of inspiration for ideas, such as career, education, hobbies and interests. It discusses the importance of team creation, execution and passion. It…
Bethany Coates, Garth Saloner
2008
By the end of 2007, Kiva, the first online person-to-person microfinance organization, had produced a number of compelling results. The site regularly “sold out” of loans. Every business listed on the site was funded within hours. New borrowers were…
Victoria Chang, William Guttentag, Roderick Kramer
2008
Forty-one year old Andrea Wong, the president and CEO of Lifetime Entertainment Services, oversaw the Lifetime Networks which included the flagship women’s cable channel, Lifetime Television, as well as its sister networks, Lifetime Movie Network…
Katherine Bose, Robert Chess, Peter Reiss
2008
The protagonist (“Howard Glass”) is a recent GSB graduate (2007) heading up a biomedical device start-up focused on the gastric bypass market. The case tracks Glass and team from the team formation and idea generation phases through the company’s first 6…
Katherine Bose, Robert Chess, Peter Reiss
2008
The protagonist (“Howard Glass”) is a recent GSB graduate (2007) heading up a biomedical device start-up focused on the gastric bypass market. The case tracks Glass and team from the team formation and idea generation phases through the company’s first 6…
Jocelyn Hornblower, Garth Saloner
2008
This case follows entrepreneur Nicole Alvino in the early days as she started a new company, dermalounge. Issues covered include building networks, writing a business plan, and fundraising.
Sean Harrington, Dennis Rohan
2008
This note gives a broad overview of the energy sector, highlighting trends and market dynamics in 2008. It is intended to be used as a basic primer for entrepreneurs and investors interested in the energy sector, not an exhaustive or definitive textbook…
Wasim Azhar, Davina Drabkin
2008
In July, 1991, Irfan Mustafa, West Asia Area Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Pepsi Cola Pakistan Incorporated (PCI), faced several dilemmas. First, as part of the 7-Up acquisition, Mustafa had to convince the remaining Pakistani 7-Up…
Katherine Bose, Kathryn Shaw
2008
The case looks at Bialecki, Inc., a boutique search firm based in NYC for senior level managers in the financial services industry. The case protagonist as well as the firm’s founder and president, Linda Bialecki, struggles to reconcile consistent…
Sean Harrington, Peter Reiss
2008
Pete Flint and Sami Inkinen, co-founders of RealWide.com, a real estate search web site, met for lunch at the Fish Market restaurant in San Mateo, Calif. to discuss the coming week. It was September 21, 2005, and they planned to have their web site go…
Dick Allen, Bethany Coates
2008
In May 2008, Mary Jones, CEO of the Richardson County Community Association (RCCA), shut the door to her office in disbelief. She had just been informed by one of her direct reports that Rick Jamison, a member of her executive team, had recently made a…
Jocelyn Hornblower, Garth Saloner
2008
The case follows Rose Hanna and her three business partners (Richard Hanna, Bob Francis and Faye Francis) as they launch and grow a scientific instrument company, MicroSample. It covers the idea discovery stage, their decision to work together as a team…
Jocelyn Hornblower, Garth Saloner
2008
The case follows Rose Hanna and her three business partners (Richard Hanna, Bob Francis and Faye Francis) as they launch and grow a scientific instrument company, MicroSample. It covers the idea discovery stage, their decision to work together as a team…
Katherine Bose, H. Grousbeck
2008
The protagonist is a Japanese national and the founder and Chairman of Satura Cakes. He is based in Honolulu, HI and his president is based in Palo Alto, CA. Together, they encounter several management challenges in the first 3 years of operating their…