It Took a Village
In 1977 Dr. Muhammad Yunus launched Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, implementing an innovative strategy to provide very small loans for extremely low-income rural villagers. Within ten years the successful bank was owned by its borrowers and Yunus's concepts helped to launch the global microfinance movement now providing funds to nearly 100 million borrowers world-wide and making considerable progress reducing the cycle of poverty.
The Hub
In 1972 Fred Smith launched Federal Express - an entirely new package delivery system concept. The chances of success were terribly long. How did he overcome a challenging set of regulatory, logistical, and financial forces to create one of the most exciting and successful companies that has changed the way the world does business?
The Car of Tomorrow - Today!
Shortly after World War II Preston Tucker attempted to launch his "car of tomorrow." Despite numerous engineering and design innovations as well as creative marketing and financing, Tucker found that the manufacturing, financial, and competitive barriers to entry in the automotive business were difficult to overcome.
Blow: The New York Blow Dry Bar
Should Blow, an innovative New York blow dry bar, focus on opening new salons or on expanding distribution of the company's product line?
The Sports Museum of America
This two-part, multi-media case discusses the proposal of a for-profit sports museum in New York City. As with most early stage businesses this venture requires raising equity capital to support the development and implementation of the concept. What are the important variables to evaluate to ascertain whether this proposed new business will provide attractive returns for new equity investors?
For Everyman
A start-up medical device company with technology purported to "reverse thousands of years of evolutionary misdirection" has attracted funding proposals from two venture capital firms. Management needs to compare and contrast the prospective terms of trade to determine which term sheet best suits their needs.
Getting in Tune: VentureMath
Sergeant, Pepper & Co., a New York-based venture capital firm, is considering investing in a start-up jewelry retailer which sells products named after music legends. As part of their financial analysis, the venture firm needs to perform a variety of sensitivity analyses to better understand the rewards of different funding structures and valuations.
The Human Transporter
In December 2001 inventor Dean Kamen launched an innovative human transporter called the Segway. In 2009, Kamen continued to seek a plan which would enable Segway to attain his original vision of creating a new urban transportation machine that would transform the world.
Karma Oil
Starting a new company to pursue international oil exploration requires large quantities of courage, skill and capital. Is this an appropriate realm for venture capitalists?