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In 2021, SunSource Energy was evaluating its growth strategy options. An entrepreneurial venture in the renewable energy sector, it was about to receive a second round of large funding. SunSource Energy had to decide whether it should exploit its expertise in India and other known locales, or whether it should explore new possibilities. It needed to apply organizational ambidexterity and a fresh approach to design thinking, especially during uncertain times in a global context. What strategy should the company use to leverage its new funding for growing the business?

A former software developer founded INK PPT in 2015 in Gurgaon, Haryana, India, after realizing that he enjoyed designing presentations. However, the market for developing corporate presentations was still in its nascent stage in India, and there was strong reluctance among organizations to outsource this work. The founder faced various hurdles growing his company, including the initial challenge of attracting customers. The situation became more challenging after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. During the resulting lockdowns, INK PPT’s regular clients cut costs by reducing their presentation projects. As the pandemic continued, attracting new clients seemed almost impossible. The founder was told, both by friends and by a successful entrepreneur, that INK PPT was too far ahead of its time. The founder had to decide if he should continue to grow INK PPT, the start-up that he had devoted all his efforts in developing, or if it was time to move on to a new venture.

The owner and founder of a quickly-growing small business selling gluten-free, naturally sweetened, vegan protein snacks across Canada, had to decide how to move forward. She was a passionate entrepreneur but also worked full-time as a teacher. The company had grown rapidly in only two years and she now needed a strategy to ensure growth and success. Her time was limited, and she needed a strategy to increase both the business’s demand and its supply capacity. She had to decide how to scale the business she enjoyed while remaining committed to her full-time teaching job.

A former software developer founded INK PPT in 2015 in Gurgaon, Haryana, India, after realizing that he enjoyed designing presentations. However, the market for developing corporate presentations was still in its nascent stage in India, and there was strong reluctance among organizations to outsource this work. The founder faced various hurdles growing his company, including the initial challenge of attracting customers. The situation became more challenging after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. During the resulting lockdowns, INK PPT's regular clients cut costs by reducing their presentation projects. As the pandemic continued, attracting new clients seemed almost impossible. The founder was told, both by friends and by a successful entrepreneur, that INK PPT was too far ahead of its time. The founder had to decide if he should continue to grow INK PPT, the start-up that he had devoted all his efforts in developing, or if it was time to move on to a new venture.

When it was founded in Hefei, China, in 2001, Jiujiu Xiyanghong Group (JX) started as a single private nursing home with fifty beds. Over its eighteen-year history, JX had maintained rapid growth; as of 2019 the company had 1,531 elderly people living in its facilities, and Xie Qiong estimated that elders residing at JX represented 36 per cent of all 4,205 people living in Hefei eldercare institutions. However, the Hefei eldercare market was witnessing rapid expansion from the entry of Chinese and foreign companies, state-owned enterprises, and investment funds. The founder wondered how JX should manage this situation.

In 2021, SunSource Energy was evaluating its growth strategy options. An entrepreneurial venture in the renewable energy sector, it was about to receive a second round of large funding. SunSource Energy had to decide whether it should exploit its expertise in India and other known locales, or whether it should explore new possibilities. It needed to apply organizational ambidexterity and a fresh approach to design thinking, especially during uncertain times in a global context. What strategy should the company use to leverage its new funding for growing the business?

In June 2021, as Toronto-based Flashfood Inc. (Flashfood) continued to grow dramatically, its founder and chief executive officer was facing critical questions about how to manage both the firm's mission and its business model. Flashfood partnered with grocery chains to sell near-expiry food to consumers via an app, and it had an expanding network of locations in Canada and the United States. The firm had a clear sustainability-driven objective: to reduce food waste and feed people more affordably. But how should the firm focus its ongoing investment and scarce resources-both strategically, in terms of market development and service offerings, and tactically, in terms of product pricing and app improvement? Could the firm achieve sustained success while avoiding any potential tendency to drift from that mission?

Spreadsheet Supplement for Case W28461

Confecciones La Montaña (CLM), a social business founded by former Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) combatants in rural Colombia, emerged out of the peace deal signed between FARC and the Colombian government in 2016. The business was part of the effort of former combatants to rejoin civilian life and help alleviate poverty in conflict-affected areas, thereby nurturing appropriate conditions to sustain peace in the country. However, the workshop had a limited productive capacity, which hindered its ability to grow, and, in 2021, the general manager had to determine the best way to increase capacity and ensure the sustainability of the business. Should CLM outsource some of its manufacturing to others in the area, or should it support the development of other clothing workshops created by former combatants across the country?

Founded in California in 2012, Ravel Law Inc. (Ravel) was a legal tech start-up that developed groundbreaking legal analytics products. In 2017, Ravel’s co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) was deciding between two very different paths to take the company—a decision that would shape Ravel’s future and ultimately determine how the CEO would exit the company. One path would lead Ravel to an acquisition or sale, and the other would allow the company to further develop its technology and eventually lead to an initial public offering (IPO). Should the CEO sell Ravel now and harvest its existing value, or should he hold on to the company and raise money to build internal capital for a future IPO? As the leader of Ravel, the CEO had to weigh the benefits and costs of fundraising for a third round of investor money against the benefits and costs of selling Ravel. While doing so, he also had to consider what would bring the most value to Ravel’s stakeholders as well as satisfy his personal interests in the venture and in an exit.

Founded in California in 2012, Ravel Law Inc. (Ravel) was a legal tech start-up that developed groundbreaking legal analytics products. In 2017, Ravel's co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) was deciding between two very different paths to take the company-a decision that would shape Ravel's future and ultimately determine how the CEO would exit the company. One path would lead Ravel to an acquisition or sale, and the other would allow the company to further develop its technology and eventually lead to an initial public offering (IPO). Should the CEO sell Ravel now and harvest its existing value, or should he hold on to the company and raise money to build internal capital for a future IPO? As the leader of Ravel, the CEO had to weigh the benefits and costs of fundraising for a third round of investor money against the benefits and costs of selling Ravel. While doing so, he also had to consider what would bring the most value to Ravel's stakeholders as well as satisfy his personal interests in the venture and in an exit.

Confecciones La Montaña (CLM), a social business founded by former Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) combatants in rural Colombia, emerged out of the peace deal signed between FARC and the Colombian government in 2016. The business was part of the effort of former combatants to rejoin civilian life and help alleviate poverty in conflict-affected areas, thereby nurturing appropriate conditions to sustain peace in the country. However, the workshop had a limited productive capacity, which hindered its ability to grow, and, in 2021, the general manager had to determine the best way to increase capacity and ensure the sustainability of the business. Should CLM outsource some of its manufacturing to others in the area, or should it support the development of other clothing workshops created by former combatants across the country?

Clément Boussard is the CEO and founder of Stanley Robotics, a Paris-based startup selling automated valet parking solutions. The case illustrates the typical challenges faced by innovators (here an entrepreneur) selling a technological innovation and dealing with their first customers.

Case Supplement for Case IN1840

The case describes the process of Intel promoting an intrapreneurship program in China. The intrapreneurship platform called Ideas2Realty (later rebranded as GrowthX) was founded in 2015. After five years' development, GrowthX was improved step by step by introducing established entrepreneurship methodologies (e.g., the Lean Startup framework), partnering with an innovation accelerator, and inviting external startups. By the end of 2020, GrowthX had explored more than 400 business ideas, bringing Intel millions of dollars in incremental revenue. Why do companies like Intel need intrapreneurship? What challenges did Intel China overcome during the process? Going forward, for project leader Kapil Kane, several challenges remained. For example, how to leverage internal teams and external startups? How to achieve better synergies between different innovation programs? How to convince managers and employees that the program is of high long-term value and ask for more resources to develop?

Jasmine Crowe founded Goodr to redirect food waste to people in need. Now a profitable enterprise, she's searching for Series A funding and encountering pushback. Scaling and contract concerns are also at the forefront of her mind, but so are her values. Feeding hungry people is at the core of her mission, but potential backers tell her the company is better off without doing so. She thinks, too, about how her race may be holding her back from funding opportunities.

In May 2022, streaming entertainment company Netflix lost customers for the first time in more than 10 years. Once a first mover in the streaming landscape, Netflix was facing competition from Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max, and others. A key component of Netflix's prior success was its unique "freedom and responsibility" culture, in which the company eschewed hierarchical decision-making, performance reviews, and vacation and expense policies. Employees were expected to maintain high performance or else get cut from the "dream team." While some employees reported appreciation for Netflix's culture, others described it as "cutthroat." Given the company's performance in spring 2022, was Netflix's "no rules rules" culture still an asset or was it now a liability?