Monosha Biotech: Growth Challenges of a Social Enterprise Brand

Monosha Biotech (MB), a social start-up in Baruipur, West Bengal, India, was founded in 2017 to tackle a significant public health issue: snakebites. India had the highest number of snakebite fatalities globally, and the efficacy of anti-snake venom (ASVs) varied significantly depending on the snake’s location. As the prominent snake-venom manufacturer was headquartered in southern India, the existing ASVs had been customized to provide optimal effectiveness in the southern part of the country, and this left individuals in other regions across the country exposed and in danger when they suffered snake bites, consequently adding to the high fatality rate. MB started commercial snake-venom production in 2021, after getting all the necessary clearance and approval from the authorities. Despite the company’s commercial success, in 2023, the company’s founders had concerns about the future of their market expansion, particularly regarding the company’s scalability and potential for continued growth. Their task was difficult, as they had to confront two significant challenges. First, how could they create an authentic brand with the company’s vision, mission, and value proposition as a social enterprise in mind? Second, what alternative for expansion in the anti-snake-venom market would be suitable to ensure further growth?

This case can be used in undergraduate and graduate courses in entrepreneurship, brand management, and business strategy to illustrate the ideation, operation, branding, and scaling of a social enterprise start-up in current scenarios. It provides a comprehensive overview of a start-up’s journey, from its inception to the growth stage, and offers valuable insights into various aspects of this journey, including industry analysis, the implementation of forward integration strategies, the development and shaping of a brand image, and the evaluation of the scalability of a young business. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to do the following:<ul><li>Identify the obstacles aspiring social entrepreneurs often face in their journey toward growth, and explore practical solutions to these obstacles.</li><li>Identify the multiple approaches to crafting an authentic brand that can lead a social enterprise start-up to prosperity, and explain how to plan brand identity and positioning to establish a reputable brand image.</li><li>Explain how to efficiently scale up a social enterprise start-up’s business, and analyze the various options available.</li><li>Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of a social enterprise start-up’s growth strategy, and outline the concept of forward integration.</li></ul>

• snake venom, anti-snake venom, scale up