HBSP (USA)
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Soofa: Displaying the Right Path?, Teaching Plan
Bussgang, Jeffrey J.; Klopfenstein, AmyTeaching Note HBS-821055-EEntrepreneurshipDisplaying 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 transitions. An added layer of tension exists between the CEO, a first-time female founder, and an experienced male media executive, providing a dilemma of whether the CEO should follow her own instincts or defer to the expertise of others and p...Starting at €0.00
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The Product Manager
Bussgang, Jeffrey J.; Eisenmann, Thomas R.; Go, RobCase HBS-812105-EEntrepreneurshipDescribes the role of product manager (PM) in technology companies, detailing: 1) PMs' responsibilities; 2) different ways to organize the product management function; 3) how PMs interact with other functions within technology companies (e.g., engineering, product marketing); 4) how the nature of the PM role varies depending on context (e.g., early vs. late-stage startups, business- vs. engineering driven cultures); and 5) the attributes of effec...Starting at €8.20
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Delivering the Goods at Shippo
Bussgang, Jeffrey J.; Rayport, Jeffrey; Hull, OliviaCase HBS-817065-EEntrepreneurshipLaura Behrens Wu, CEO of software start-up Shippo, prepares her pitch for a Series A funding round following a successful seed round. Customer adoption of Shippo's e-commerce dashboard application, which allows small and medium retailers to compare delivery rates between shipping providers and print package labels, has been steady in the nine months since it went live. But traction with the firm's developer-friendly product, an API that allows la...Starting at €8.20
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foursquare
Piskorski, Mikolaj Jan; Eisenmann, Thomas R.; Bussgang, Jeffrey J.; Chen, DavidCase HBS-711418-EEntrepreneurshipThe cofounders of foursquare are deciding how to respond to competitive threats and scale up the organization. Foursquare was a location-based online service that allowed users to "check in" to a location using an application on a smartphone. Foursquare kept track of a user's check-ins, shared them with users' friends, and unlocked "Specials" that gave users discounts at nearby locations. Within a year and a half of its founding the company had 4...Starting at €8.20
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Soofa: Displaying the Right Path
Bussgang, Jeffrey J.; Klopfenstein, Amy; Migdal, AmramCase HBS-820098-EEntrepreneurshipIn November 2019, Sandra Richter, co-founder and CEO of Soofa, a network of advertising-supported digital bulletin boards, must decide between two different fundraising and expansion plans for her company. One plan entails raising $15 million in a Series A round and pursuing an aggressive expansion strategy, while the other represents a more modest $3 million raise to bring the company to operating profitability. Richter had developed the $15 mil...Starting at €8.20
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Raising Startup Capital
Bussgang, Jeffrey J.Case HBS-814089-EEntrepreneurshiptypes of startup capital are equity funding and debt funding although there are a few hybrid flavors as well. Sources of funding. These include venture capital firms, angel investors, crowd-funding, and accelerators/incubators. What investors look for. Each source has a different funding process and set of criteria which you need to understand before seeking funding from that source. The mechanics of equity funding. Seeking and securi...Starting at €8.20
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Choosy
Bussgang, Jeffrey J.; Kelley, JuliaCase HBS-819054-EEntrepreneurshipFounded in 2017, Choosy is a data-driven fashion startup that uses algorithms to identify styles trending on social media. After manufacturing similar items using a China-based supply chain, Choosy sells them to consumers through its website and social media pages. Since its official launch in July 2018, Choosy has been fine-tuning its business model. Now, in September 2018, founder and CEO Jessie Zeng must decide what the startup's next steps sh...Starting at €8.20
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AirFox (A): Embracing the Blockchain and an ICO - Teaching Note
Bussgang, Jeffrey J.; Schwalb, NathanielTeaching Note HBS-819065-EEntrepreneurshipTeaching note for case 818097. In summer 2017, Victor Santos, CEO of AirFox, considered whether to pivot his startup towards a new product built with blockchain - a quickly growing technology at the time. AirFox was an early stage startup that sold Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) to small telecom companies. AirFox was generating revenue and had a pipeline of interested customers, but it was running low on cash. In addition, Santos was finding it di...Starting at €0.00
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On the Bubble: Startup Bootstrapping
Bussgang, Jeffrey J.; Quinn, Tom; Lobb, AnnelenaCase HBS-822033-EEntrepreneurshipBubble was a software company in the low-code/no-code market, making tools that allowed users without traditional programming backgrounds or technical skills to build software. The case covers cofounder Joshua Haas's engineering background, as he experienced a high demand for coding expertise in the startup community, but a low supply of coders. It then outlines his founding, with cofounder Emmanuel Straschnov, of Bubble in 2012, and their subseq...Starting at €8.20
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Codecademy: Monetizing a Movement, Teaching Plan
Bussgang, Jeffrey J.; Mazzanti, LisaTeaching Note HBS-815117-EEntrepreneurshipThis is a Teaching Plan for the case on Codecademy, an open-platform, online community for learning computer programming, launched in 2011. By 2014, the company had raised a total of $12.5 million in funding and was, on many fronts, an overwhelming success. However, there were still no revenues. The founders decided it was time to experiment with different monetization strategies before deciding on a way forward. Although they wanted to avoid bei...Starting at €0.00