Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 7, 2011

Consumers, of course, love big discounts. Priced at $20 per share, the stock ended the day at $26.10, resulting in a $15.7 billion market valuation. The crux of Groupon's business model involves offering highly-discounted deals to subscribers by email. But for Groupon to prosper, participating businesses must find these deals rewarding too.

IPO 10

IPO Discount Price Business Model 10

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 16, 2018

Most of us don’t oversee huge IPOs, but sooner or later, every team faces an unexpected crisis: technology breaks, a competitor makes a disruptive move, a promising project fails, a key employee quits, consumers have a negative reaction to a new product—the list goes on. There is a better way.

Crisis 11

Crisis IPO Film How To 11

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 20, 2015

As the CFO of a well-funded IPO-bound company, Dan had many years of experience and he had the results to show that he had outworked and out-delivered many of his internal and external counterparts. But now, with the impending IPO, the stakes were much higher. It does and executives shouldn’t be silent about it.

Execution 8

Execution IPO CFO Diversity 8

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 20, 2015

As the CFO of a well-funded IPO-bound company, Dan had many years of experience and he had the results to show that he had outworked and out-delivered many of his internal and external counterparts. But now, with the impending IPO, the stakes were much higher. It does and executives shouldn’t be silent about it.

Execution 8

Execution IPO CFO Diversity 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

He studied the relative importance of management teams in 106 venture capital-financed firms from early business plan to IPO. He found that although 50% of venture capital investors described the management team as the most important factor at the business plan stage, this emphasis had dropped markedly by the IPO stage.

Stage-Gate 8

Stage-Gate Kaplan Competitive Advantage Intangible Assets 8

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 13, 2011

When the daily deals site rejected the generous offer from the search giant in favor of pursuing an IPO, it unleashed a flood of commentary, from this site and others. Remember late last year when Google offered $5.3 billion to buy out Groupon ?

Business Model 13

Business Model IPO Price Industry 13

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 8, 2018

Making something wildly profitable will of course attract the attention of financial markets, and thus increase the chances it will scale effectively. It was one of the world’s highest-grossing IPOs in a year when the market was otherwise in chaos due to the mortgage lending crisis.

Microfinance 8

Microfinance IPO Real Estate Industry 8

Harvard Business Review

JULY 24, 2017

Major organizational changes, covering everything from recruiting and branding to regulatory approvals and marketing, happened in rapid succession, with a hard deadline of 12 months to get it all done for the IPO — and 18 months from the IPO until our full separation from GE. Of course, the journey isn’t over.

Management 10

Management IPO Diversity Long-term 10

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 28, 2016

Of course, anyone who really knows the history of platforms may recall the many that aspired to make gobs of money but never did and quickly died (think of the many B2B exchanges that never made it to the other side of dot-com bust). Then the banks decided to turn the associations into for-profit companies, IPO them, and cash out.

IPO 8

IPO Succession Technology Software 8

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 3, 2012

That won't happen, of course, but the quiet transformation of 401ks (for non-U.S. Individual investors should be disabused of the notion that investing in IPOs like Groupon's is a safe and responsible path to financial security. But it's highly doubtful they'll do anything to protect the gullible.

IPO 10

IPO Conflict of Interest Information Marketing 10

Harvard Business Review

MAY 16, 2012

One of our most striking findings was that of the entrepreneurs we surveyed who had a successful exit (that is, an IPO or sale to another firm), about 70% did NOT start with a business plan. The strategic architecture of any business should incorporate facts from real world testing to allow one to adjust course as necessary.

Planning 20

Planning Mintzberg IPO Entrepreneur 20

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 31, 2014

Of course, that “success” didn’t come with a lot of revenue. billion in its 2013 IPO) that investors have plowed into it. Could Twitter have chosen not to follow the standard VC-to-IPO path that has brought it to this pass? The company has piles of money — $3.6 And the company’s latest (Oct.

Marketing 9

Marketing IPO Venture Capitalist Fashion 9

Rajesh Setty

DECEMBER 4, 2008

A pitch (exaggerated, of course) may look like this. Co-branding , of course is an out-of-the-box feature. Of course with the right partner and a healthy pre-money valuation , we will consider a series A investment with a combination of Venture debt. We are currently in closed alpha and will go into a private beta soon.

Blue Ocean Strategy 30

Blue Ocean Strategy CPM Licensing Open-book 30

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 26, 2012

I talked recently with David Galenson , an economist at the University of Chicago who began studying prices at art auctions — an exploration that drove him to understand the nature of creativity over the course of one's career. But late bloomers can take comfort in his finding that creativity isn't one-size-fits-all.

IPO 14

IPO Creativity Comparison Reputation 14

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 28, 2014

billion IPO valuation in 2013) can be attributed to its continued focus on that target. They chart their own course and invite the world to navigate around them. How – personality. When a unique brand personality manifests itself in a unique customer experience, it enables a brand to rise above competitive comparison.

Brand 10

Brand IPO Marketing Strategy Airlines 10

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 7, 2013

But if in reaction to Pandora, SiriusXM would instead have launched a free, advertising-supported version of their content for online and mobile, they might have permanently delayed Pandora''s IPO by denying them the ability to grow users. Of course not. They neutralized the threat and entered the market with "free" all in one move.

Disruptive Innovation 8

Disruptive Innovation Advertising Discount IPO 8

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 29, 2012

I had taken two excellent courses on microelectronics, and decided that I could build a business around them in my native Nigeria. also has a vibrant IPO system to take companies public. A few years ago, while I was a first-year Ph.D. student in the engineering school at Johns Hopkins University, I had a business idea.

Entrepreneur 13

Entrepreneur Exit Strategy Development Real Estate 13

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 2, 2016

Before the company’s $155 billion IPO in 2014 — the largest initial public offering in history — he observed, “we want to help small businesses grow by solving their problems.” Upwork, which provides a freelance labor market offers its partners the chance to participate in free online courses.

IPO 8

IPO Human Capital Insurance Business Model 8

Harvard Business Review

MAY 8, 2015

Tech bloggers had jumped all over the story; many speculated that SimplePay had begun to slow its hiring and scrimp on security investments in an effort to spiff up its balance sheet for a potential IPO. “Of course, it was,” Michelle responded. We’ve got an IPO to prepare for, after all.”

Case Study 8

Case Study Crisis IPO CIO 8

Harvard Business Review

MAY 21, 2012

The Facebook IPO has ignited a predictable frenzy. And of course, if the advertising on Facebook is truly engaging and interesting, why would an advertiser pay them to feature it? It is easy and effortless, all the way through the entire purchase and delivery process.

Media 14

Media Advertising Niche Marketing Business Model 14

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 9, 2018

” Then the CHRO paused for a moment and added, “Of course there is this issue of his executive presence. Take Jim, a front-runner CFO candidate for a leading medical device manufacturer on the verge of an IPO. As we considered a broader group of potential candidates, the CHRO chimed in with an idea: “What about Tom?

Career 15

Career CFO Sample Execution 15

Harvard Business Review

MAY 16, 2018

On top of that, Digitas, where he was CEO, had just raised $223 million through its IPO in March of 2000, valuing the company at $1.4 billion, $100 million shy of its IPO valuation. But over the course of that decade, the company did recover to 85% of its dotcom bubble high. Kenny himself had already sold 1.5

Crisis 8

Crisis Entrepreneur Business Model IPO 8

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 26, 2014

I’ve looked up every company that did an IPO in the U.S. In introductory economics courses in college, kids learn about “opportunity costs” and the “time value of money.” (Hey, it could be worse: the computer and electronics hardware industry has shed 750,000 jobs since the turn of the 21 st century.). since 2000.

Development 9

Development Levitt Real Estate IPO 9

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 10, 2013

Of course, no one likes to pay taxes, but the Danes don''t complain as much as you might expect in part because they receive a high quantity and quality of public services for their taxes. For example, it is nearly impossible for scaling ventures in many countries, including Brazil and Denmark, to count on an IPO for a successful exit.

Entrepreneur 8

Entrepreneur IPO Incentives Venture Capitalist 8

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 12, 2011

For HBR's April issue on failure, I penned a piece on the experience of going through a failed IPO. If you were pessimistic about the outcome from the start, you could have saved yourself time by choosing the quickest course of action. In one context or another, you've likely failed, too. but it was failure. First, welcome to the club.

Short-term 15

Short-term Long-term IPO Middle Management 15

Harvard Business Review

MAY 10, 2011

Consider Zipcar, whose recent IPO valued the 11-year old company at over $1 billion. Army, which puts Majors and Colonels through an 18-week course to become "Red Team" leaders who look at problems from the standpoint of adversaries and other nations to identify alternative strategies. The approach has even worked for the U.S.

Venture Capitalist 12

Venture Capitalist Venture Funding Entrepreneur IPO 12

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 9, 2015

Some (12) of the firms had an IPO, and collectively enjoyed valuation that at its peak was $5.4 Their original study was of new entrants into the Winchester disk drive industry, a sector every bit as hot and exciting back then as start-ups like Uber are today. At the peak of the frenzy, some 70 companies participated in this space.

Venture Capitalist 8

Venture Capitalist Business Model IPO Marketing 8

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 15, 2013

Lerner has another paper relevant to the Dell case, which looks at the performance of buyout companies'' stock prices after they IPO, including public firms taken private in the deal. That tech buyouts have worked in the past is, of course, no guarantee that it will work in Dell''s case. The Case of IBM.

Rivkin 15

Rivkin Succession Short-term Case Study 15

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 19, 2014

But Ellison is of course chairman of that board (long-time chairman Jeff Henley will stay on as vice chairman). And of the remarkable tech IPO class of 1986, which included Adobe, EMC, Microsoft, and Sun Microsystems, Oracle has been the best performer.

Company 8

Company Chief Technology Officer IPO CEO 8

Harvard Business Review

MAY 31, 2013

Of course the cool kids don''t want to hang out there any more. But since its spluttering IPO last year, I''ve been coming around to the notion that Facebook is headed for a status more interesting than either flash-in-the-pan or all-conquering global behemoth.

Strategy 8

Strategy IPO Early Adopters COO 8

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 10, 2012

Because, of course, the same thing is happening to others left and right. If it wants to turn in a blockbuster IPO for its founders, it can't turn a blind eye to its friends. They can either copy your persona and create a new account, or simply change the associated email address. Why am I sharing this tale of woe?

Advertising 11

Advertising IPO Media Report 11

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 22, 2013

Years of development, energy, and, of course, money have gone into it. Cephalon's IPO was in 1991, part of the second wave of biotechnology companies to sell shares to the public. Your company has just developed an amazing new product. Hype and excitement behind the launch pushes it into high gear. What do you do next?

Productivity 8

Productivity Products Biotechnology IPO 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 8, 2010

That's why the traditional understanding of everything from GDP to " jobs " to " profit " to " IPO " is limited. It might ignite novel sources of advantage — while of course creating disadvantage for companies who won't or can't play by its rules. And the result of an undersupply of disclosure is toxic, perverse incentives.

GDP 16

GDP Hypercompetition IPO Information 16

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 21, 2011

This is not a strictly either-or choice, of course. Now, I'm excited by the rise of Facebook, the IPO of LinkedIn, and all the latest successes from the startup world. Even the best groups have stars, and not all stars find it hard to work well with others. But there remains the question of balance, priorities, even business mythology.

IPO 15

IPO Engineering Taylorism Taylor 15

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 4, 2013

Of course I don't mean everyone should go out and hire an assistant to man the velvet rope for you (though it's easier than ever, given the proliferation of online sites like Elance and oDesk.) There's a risk, of course, that saying no means you'll miss out on something. The guy doesn't know anybody?

Venture Capitalist 8

Venture Capitalist IPO Career Follow-up 8

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 5, 2014

Booming public equities and a recovered IPO market generated record portfolio company exits and distributions from VC funds. There are, of course, individual firms that succeed in generating venture rates of return. 2013 had all the signs of being a comeback year for venture capital.

Venture Capitalist 17

Venture Capitalist Asset Management Rate of Return Industry 17

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

But of course, when it comes to the executive committee, we both know he's right.". Of course it is.". I've spent the past month doing pitchbooks for a pulp-and-paper IPO that's never going to happen," Anthony said. Hadn't he cited their "unprecedented progress" in filling the executive pipeline with minority candidates?

Case Study 8

Case Study Diversity Taylorism Taylor 8