How Duolingo Aims to Diversify Beyond Language Learning
Launched in 2011, Duolingo grew into the most downloaded education app in the world. Its gamified approach to language learning and use of adaptive AI technology helped it reach 100 million monthly active users and a market capitalization approaching $15 billion by late 2024. The company also saw the potential of Gen AI to power innovative products beyond languages. CTO Severin Hacker envisioned a future in which AI would transform the app into an educational ecosystem, tapping into the $56 billion edtech market. HBS Senior Lecturer Jeffrey Rayport and coauthor Nicole Keller join host Brian Kenny to discuss the case “Duolingo: On a Streak” and the long-term benefits and risks of this diversification strategy.
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The Nuqul Group Works to Preserve Its Founder’s Legacy
In 1952, Palenstinian refugee Elia Nuqul started a trading business in Jordan. Nuqul Group subsequently grew into one of the country’s largest family businesses. Its flagship company, Fine Hygienic Holding (FHH), was a leader in hygienic paper products across the Middle East and North Africa. After Nuqul’s death in 2022, his son Ghassan and three siblings decided to split the Group’s assets so that each branch of the family could forge its own path. They were in discussions to finalize the details of the agreement. In this episode, FHH chairman Ghassan Nuqul and HBS Senior Lecturer Christina Wing join host Brian Kenny to discuss enduring family businesses, a founder’s legacy, and how business decisions affect family ties in the case “Ghassan Nuqul and the Nuqul Group: Preserving a Father's Legacy.”
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Calyx Global: Improving the Quality of Carbon Credits
In 2021, Donna Lee and Duncan van Bergen founded Calyx Global to improve the quality of carbon credits sold in the voluntary carbon market. Organizations buy those credits for their decarbonization efforts to meet net-zero commitments. The startup had carefully avoided perceptions of conflicts of interest. But it was a challenging time for the industry. Lee and van Bergen had to decide whether tapping new revenue streams would jeopardize their trustworthy reputation. In this episode, HBS Professor Mike Toffel and Duncan van Bergen discuss the company’s business model, its approach to ratings, and the emerging competitive landscape in the case, “Calyx Global: Rating Carbon Credits.”
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How Lanco Medical Group Fosters Workforce Happiness to Motivate Employees and Grow Fast
How important is it to maintain a happy workforce? With this question in mind, Lanco Medical Group, a small but fast-growing pharmaceutical distributor serving Latin America, designed their employee benefits and incentives program. But there were gaps between what leadership believed motivated employees and what employees truly valued. So, the organization collected data about those drivers. Priorities varied by age group, organizational role, and geographic locations. In this episode, HBS Professor Susanna Gallani discusses the case “Lanco Medical Group: Fostering Happiness for Growth” and the tensions between accommodating employees' preferences, maintaining fairness, and operating a manageable incentive program amid aggressive international growth targets.
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The Evolution of Luxury Brand Porsche
Porsche has reigned as a leading sports and luxury car company for nearly 80 years. Central to the German automaker’s growth strategy is creating great products, such as the legendary 911 Carrera sports car. But the automotive industry is facing disruption and new competition. Company leadership is adapting Porsche’s product portfolio, recently adding the electric model Taycan. They’re also innovating new customer experiences like the “Track Your Dream” program. In this episode, Harvard Business School Professor Stefan Thomke explores the company’s bid to stay relevant and true to its legacy in the case “Porsche.”
Cold Call distills Harvard Business School's legendary case studies into podcast form. Hosted by Brian Kenny, the podcast airs every two weeks and features Harvard Business School faculty discussing cases they've written and the lessons they impart.
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