Hyderabad-based real estate developer Organo, led by Nagesh Battula and Vijay Durga, aimed to disrupt the market with their third project, Organo Damaragidda, focusing on eco-friendly living in Telangana. Following the success of their previous projects, Naandi and Antharam, Organo faced challenges in reaching their target audience for Damaragidda. This case study talks about how they navigate the difficult path of marketing a niche product to new market segment.

Set in 2019, this case explores Tata Steel's journey in utilizing digital technologies to enhance customer engagement. Tata Steel, founded in 1907, had emerged as the ninth-largest steel conglomerate globally, with major production facilities in India and overseas. With a focus on B2B, B2ECA, and B2C markets, the company established a task force on digital strategy to drive innovation and stakeholder experiences. They prioritized initiatives such as reverse mentoring and the Digital Enthusiasts Exploration Program. The company aimed to "Think Big, Start Small, Scale Fast" in delivering digital projects in the Marketing & Sales division. By creating a digital roadmap and filtering initiatives based on value and execution feasibility, Tata Steel identified opportunities in each market segment. The division successfully embraced digital transformation and overcame challenges during Phase 0 and Phase 1. The case explores future considerations, including regional expansion, exploring new technologies, and upskilling the team or hiring consultants.

The case explores the journey of Tata Steel Limited (TSL), India's largest and one of the world's top steel manufacturers, to find ways of getting closer to consumers to combat commoditization. This century-old organization has weathered many disruptions from significant regulatory changes, globalization, and technology changes. The company is renowned for its high quality, operational excellence, and delivery reliability. TSL was one of the earliest steel manufacturers (as early as 2003) to recognize the need to build strong relationships with both business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) customers. This case describes the efforts of the organization to continuously introduce innovative ideas into the business, including branding various company products, such as Tata Shaktee for steel roofing sheets and Tata Tiscon for thermo-mechanically treated rebars, which are mainstay products in consumer markets. Despite its efforts to reinvent itself continually, the firm faces repeated challenges of price cyclicality and commoditization, which are characteristic of the steel industry. The company faces stiff competition from both local and global players and growing pressure on profitability. To overcome these challenges, the firm is consistently seeking ways to get closer to its customers (in B2B markets) and consumers (in B2C markets). The case highlights the nuances of TSL's market-sensing efforts, spotting the idea of making steel doors that closely resemble wooden ones, taking the product to market, and the thought process of various internal divisions. The case concludes with the leadership team of TSL facing major challenges in deciding how to continue innovating in the marketplace after the early success of the Pravesh initiative.

The case is set in 2021 and explores the journey of Chiranjeev Restaurant and Foods Pvt. Ltd., located at Koregaon Park, Pune. It has evolved sustainable business practices, delivering innovative organic food products from farm to table to its customers at the restaurant over the last 25 years. The case underlines Malaka Spice's efforts to mainstream sustainability in the restaurant ecosystem by challenging the current food system followed by fine-dining restaurants in India. Malaka Spice, led by the founder Praful Chandawarkar and his experienced management team, has implemented a circular food system by incorporating natural farming practices, enrolling local suppliers, having an integrated supply chain, training staff to efficiently use the produce, composting waste and feeding the compost back into the soil, and closing the system's feedback loop. The case explores critical events in Praful's personal life and the entrepreneurial journey that persuaded him to pursue a mission to bring prosperity to all, including the restaurant's employees and the planet's ecosystem. Malaka Spice's culture is rooted in the Indian management thought process inspired by the sutras from Kautilya's Arthashastra (ancient Indian treatise on economics, statecraft, warfare, etc.). The principles derived from the sutras led to unconventional practices within the organization. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, the management team empowered the employees to start their own enterprises while continuing to be employees of the restaurant chain. They were trained to source materials and supply them to the restaurant. Malaka Spice influenced the competition to adopt its best practices and created an environment of trust to promote the cross-learning of ideas within the hospitality industry. Finally, the case delves into green solutions that the Malaka Spice team designed and prototyped to tackle the climate crisis proactively.

The case is set in 2017 and covers the journey of Fluid AI. Fluid AI is a five-year-old artificial intelligence (AI) startup that emerged as a pioneer in offering various AI-based products to solve various business problems. Its customers were primarily international and domestic (Indian) banks that generated and held enormous data but struggled to make sense of it. These banks needed help in solving problems such as predicting which customers they should lend money to, having an effective collection mechanism with reduced reliance on human decision-making, and using AI as modern technology to enhance the overall quality of customer experience. High cost-to-income ratios in banks provided another business imperative for building AI-based solutions to automate various operational processes in banks. Recognizing these needs, Fluid AI's founders-Raghav and Abhinav Aggarwal-built a core set of products powered by deep technical expertise and knowledge of AI algorithms. Enthused by the success from their first banking customer, the duo invested heavily in creating a two-pronged AI value proposition: predictive AI capabilities and conversational bots, with the ability to deploy solutions both on the customer's premises and on the cloud. This unique capability put Fluid AI in a formidable position to compete with more established AI startups, including some large IT service providers and product companies. The brothers did all of this in a completely bootstrapped mode, allowing the Fluid AI team full freedom to make technology, architectural, and business model decisions. They reached a critical mass of customers as more banks signed up and started using Fluid AI's products. A turning point came when Forbes magazine approached Fluid AI to help create a virtual avatar of Warren Buffett. This case traces Fluid AI's journey from being a startup, including its young founders and their dreams.