Finance →
- 15 Oct 2024
- Cold Call Podcast
What Sequoia Capital Can Teach Leaders About Sustaining Long-Term Growth
Sequoia Capital, a venture capital firm founded in 1972, grew to become one of the most storied venture capital firms in the world. The firm’s investment track record includes the names of some of the largest global companies. But the venture capital industry began facing new challenges in 2022, and investors were increasingly cautious. At that time Sequoia also began restructuring the firm and made other changes to their core identity. What would all of this mean for the future of Sequoia, and would the firm still be able to maintain their historical dominance? Harvard Business School senior lecturers Jo Tango and Christina Wallace discuss their case, “Sequoia Capital.”
- 01 Oct 2024
- Research & Ideas
How Politics Drives Business Decisions in a Polarized Nation
As the US heads toward a presidential election, political polarization is influencing personal relationships, living choices, and even corporate decision-making. Research by Elisabeth Kempf reveals how partisan divides are shaping businesses, with significant implications for investment returns, credit ratings, and economic growth.
- 24 Sep 2024
- Research & Ideas
Why Small Businesses Deserve More Credit
Small firms and startups don't always seem like sound lending opportunities to banks. But research by Olivia Kim shows that they draw down debt conservatively—and expanding their access to credit could drive growth.
- 17 Sep 2024
- Cold Call Podcast
Fawn Weaver’s Entrepreneurial Journey as an Outsider in the Spirits Industry
In 2017 Fawn Weaver launched a premium American whiskey brand, Uncle Nearest. It became the fastest growing and most awarded whiskey brand in America, despite the challenges Weaver faced as a Black woman and outsider to the spirits industry, which is capital-intensive, highly regulated, competitive, and male-dominated. In October 2023, Weaver announced plans to expand into cognac with the goal of building the next major alcoholic beverages conglomerate. But the company was still heavily reliant on capital. How could Weaver convince new investors that her plans for cognac would yield success? Harvard Business School senior lecturer Hise Gibson discusses Weaver’s leadership style, growth strategies, and her use of storytelling to connect customers with her brand in the case, "Uncle Nearest: Creating a Legacy."
- 29 Aug 2024
- Research & Ideas
Shoot for the Stars: What to Know About the Space Economy
Outer space has come a long way since the 1960s. Matthew Weinzierl explains the current state of the space economy, highlighting the various opportunities for businesses hidden among the stars.
- 22 Aug 2024
- Research & Ideas
Reading the Financial Crisis Warning Signs: Credit Markets and the 'Red-Zone'
While fears about slowing economic growth have roiled stock markets in recent weeks, credit markets remain stable and bullish, and a recession hasn't materialized as some analysts predicted. Robin Greenwood discusses the market conditions that are buoying the economy—and risk signals to watch.
- 20 Aug 2024
- Cold Call Podcast
Angel City Football Club: A New Business Model for Women’s Sports
Angel City Football Club (ACFC) was founded in 2020 by venture capitalist Kara Nortman, entrepreneur Julie Uhrman, and actor and activist Natalie Portman. As outsiders to professional sports, the all-female founding team had rewritten the playbook for how to build a sports franchise by applying lessons from the tech and entertainment industries. Unlike typical sports franchises that built their teams and track records over many years before extending their brand beyond a local base, ACFC had inverted the model, generating both global and local interest in the club during its first three years. The club’s early success was reflected in its market valuation of $250 million as of its sale in July 2024 — the highest in the National Women’s Soccer League. Equally important, ACFC had started to bend the curve toward greater pay equity in women’s sports — the club’s ultimate goal. But the founders knew there was much more to do to capitalize on the club’s momentum. As they developed ACFC’s first three-year strategic plan in 2024, they weighed the most effective ways to build value for the franchise. Was it better to allocate the incremental budget to investments in digital brand building or to investments in the on-field product? Senior Lecturer Jeffrey Rayport is joined by case co-author Nicole Keller and club co-founder Kara Nortman to discuss the case, “Angel City Football Club: Scoring a New Model.”
- 05 Aug 2024
- Research & Ideas
Watching for the Next Economic Downturn? Follow Corporate Debt
Rising household debt alone isn't enough to predict looming economic crises. Research by Victoria Ivashina examines the role of corporate debt in fiscal crashes since 1940.
- 23 Jul 2024
- Research & Ideas
Forgiving Medical Debt Won't Make Everyone Happier
Medical debt not only hurts credit access, it can also harm one's mental health. But a study by Raymond Kluender finds that forgiving people's bills—even $170 million of debt—doesn't necessarily reduce stress, financial or otherwise.
- 16 Jul 2024
- Research & Ideas
Weighing Digital Tradeoffs in Private Equity
Private equity firms often streamline the operations of portfolio companies, but cost-cutting isn't the only road to efficiency. The right technology improvements can increase the value of PE investments, says research by Brian Baik and Suraj Srinivasan.
- 09 Jul 2024
- Cold Call Podcast
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and Brand Building
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which allow individuals to own their digital assets and move them from place to place, are changing the interaction between consumers and digital goods, brands, and platforms. Professor Scott Duke Kominers and tech entrepreneur Steve Kaczynski discuss the case, “Bored Ape Yacht Club: Navigating the NFT World,” and the related book they co-authored, The Everything Token: How NFTs and Web3 Will Transform The Way We Buy, Sell, And Create. They focus on the rise and popularity of the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs and the new model of brand building created by owning those tokens.
- 09 Jul 2024
- Research & Ideas
Are Management Consulting Firms Failing to Manage Themselves?
In response to unprecedented client demand a few years ago, consulting firms went on a growth-driven hiring spree, but now many of these firms are cutting back staff. David Fubini questions whether strategy firms, which are considered experts at solving a variety of problems for clients, are struggling to apply their own management principles internally to address their current challenges.
- 18 Jun 2024
- Cold Call Podcast
How Natural Winemaker Frank Cornelissen Innovated While Staying True to His Brand
In 2018, artisanal Italian vineyard Frank Cornelissen was one of the world’s leading producers of natural wine. But when weather-related conditions damaged that year’s grapes, founder Frank Cornelissen had to decide between staying true to the tenets of natural wine making or breaking with his public beliefs to save that year’s grapes by adding sulfites. Harvard Business School assistant professor Tiona Zuzul discusses the importance of staying true to your company’s principles while remaining flexible enough to welcome progress in the case, Frank Cornelissen: The Great Sulfite Debate.
- 18 Jun 2024
- Research & Ideas
Central Banks Missed Inflation Red Flags. This Pricing Model Could Help.
The steep inflation that plagued the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic took many economists by surprise. But research by Alberto Cavallo suggests that a different method of tracking prices—a real-time model—could predict future surges better.
- 18 Jun 2024
- Research & Ideas
What Your Non-Binary Employees Need to Do Their Best Work
How can you break down gender boundaries and support the non-binary people on your team better? A study by Katherine Coffman reveals the motivations and aspirations of non-binary employees, highlighting the need for greater inclusion to unlock the full potential of a diverse workforce.
- 04 Jun 2024
- Cold Call Podcast
How One Insurtech Firm Formulated a Strategy for Climate Change
The Insurtech firm Hippo was facing two big challenges related to climate change: major loss ratios and rate hikes. The company used technologically empowered services to create its competitive edge, along with providing smart home packages, targeting risk-friendly customers, and using data-driven pricing. But now CEO and president Rick McCathron needed to determine how the firm’s underwriting model could account for the effects of high-intensity weather events. Harvard Business School professor Lauren Cohen discusses how Hippo could adjust its strategy to survive a new era of unprecedented weather catastrophes in his case, “Hippo: Weathering the Storm of the Home Insurance Crisis.”
- 22 Apr 2024
- Research & Ideas
When Does Impact Investing Make the Biggest Impact?
More investors want to back businesses that contribute to social change, but are impact funds the only approach? Research by Shawn Cole, Leslie Jeng, Josh Lerner, Natalia Rigol, and Benjamin Roth challenges long-held assumptions about impact investing and reveals where such funds make the biggest difference.
- 23 Jan 2024
- Book
More Than Memes: NFTs Could Be the Next Gen Deed for a Digital World
Non-fungible tokens might seem like a fad approach to selling memes, but the concept could help companies open new markets and build communities. Scott Duke Kominers and Steve Kaczynski go beyond the NFT hype in their book, The Everything Token.
- 12 Sep 2023
- Research & Ideas
How Can Financial Advisors Thrive in Shifting Markets? Diversify, Diversify, Diversify
Financial planners must find new ways to market to tech-savvy millennials and gen Z investors or risk irrelevancy. Research by Marco Di Maggio probes the generational challenges that advisory firms face as baby boomers retire. What will it take to compete in a fintech and crypto world?
How Private Investors Can Help Solve Africa's Climate Crisis
Africa faces escalating climate risks that threaten its people and businesses. While governments and development finance institutions lack the capital to address these challenges, John Macomber argues that private investors could play a pivotal role in developing adaptation projects that provide strong returns.