In 2018, Alexandra Breuer and Kimberly Marsh, co-founders of Ezza Nails (Ezza), were preparing to scale their manicure-focused start-up. Operating in a highly fragmented $14 billion nail salon industry, Ezza differentiated itself through a focused service offering, a tech-enabled customer experience, and an employment model aimed at empowering technicians. As they considered raising $1.5 million in growth capital, Breuer and Marsh faced a critical .....more

Deltacore Analytics was a mid-sized marketing intelligence firm that collected, analyzed, and interpreted data to inform strategic marketing decisions. While initially successful, by mid-2024, clients began to shift from Deltacore to competitors who could offer continuous and dynamic marketing solutions that depended on AI-native marketing intelligence platforms. Deltacore's earnings were suffering, and clients were raising questions about the .....more

<p style="color: rgb(197, 183, 131);"><strong> AWARD WINNER: First Place in the 2025 Ivey Publishing Sustainability Case Writing Awards </strong></p><br><br>In June 2023, the founder of Karma Ecotech Limited (EcoEx), an India-based business-to-business digital marketplace offering plastic-waste-management services to corporations to help them meet mandatory extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations, .....more

<p style="color: rgb(197, 183, 131);"><strong> AWARD WINNER: Honourable Mention in the 2025 Ivey Publishing Sustainability Case Writing Awards </strong></p><br><br>Rajeev Kher, the founder of Saraplast Pvt. Ltd. (Saraplast), started manufacturing portable toilets to augment the sanitation facilities available at major events such as the Kumbh Mela and the Pandharpur Yatra. He was motivated by his desire .....more

Shaadi.com, founded in Mumbai in 1996 by Anupam Mittal, was India’s leading online matrimonial site. Matchmaking in India was a complex process given the involvement of the extended family in selecting life partners for the younger generation. Making Shaadi.com an e-commerce business was a paradigm shift, and the website garnered enormous success in displacing the traditional system of matchmaking through its in-depth understanding of the psychographics .....more

This case follows Quantum Temple (QT), a Web3 platform founded in 2021 to preserve cultural heritage and promote regenerative tourism through blockchain and non-fungible tokens. By 2024, QT had piloted its model in Bali, demonstrating how immersive, community-led travel experiences could generate economic value while safeguarding intangible traditions. As QT prepared to scale, the team faced a strategic dilemma: how to expand into new regions (like .....more

In 2024, the founder of Cleardekho, a leading eyewear brand in India, was contemplating his next strategic move for growth. Cleardekho was started in 2017 by targeting customers in India’s Tier 2 and 3 cities. Since then, the company built up a large market presence with almost 200 stores in more than 90 cities by 2022. However, major competitors in the industry had announced their own ambitious expansion plans across India. With competition expected .....more

Nancy Peterson, the founder and chief executive officer of HomeStars Inc. (HomeStars) had built her company from a start-up to Canada’s largest online home improvement network. The case takes place 10 years after its founding. Peterson needed to make a strategic decision in the next month. Should she and her team seek to raise $5 million to invest in growing the company organically through marketing or sell the business and, if they decided to sell .....more

In September 2024, Shiv Kumar Goyal, founder of QuikDox, faced a strategic challenge. His start-up had gained traction in the regulatory technology (RegTech) space by offering a fully digitized will creation platform, solving a critical issue of unclaimed inheritance assets. Despite its growing traction and early success, the company faced significant challenges, including limited resources, complex legal frameworks surrounding electronic wills, and .....more

<b>All royalties from the adoption of this case will be donated to First-St. Andrew’s United Church.</b><br><br>In November 2022, First-St. Andrew’s United Church (FSA) was dealing with the same challenges that plagued other churches in Canada: a younger generation that was less interested in joining or supporting a traditional church congregation. With an aging membership and shrinking numbers in the congregation, FSA could .....more