E-device: Choosing the right growth strategy (A)
The eDevice case is at the crossroads of two basic issues: 1) What options for growth are available to the entrepreneur? 2) How to make a new technology a commercial success and–more specifically–how, and under what conditions, can a company speed up the adoption of disruptive technology? eDevice was officially founded in October 1999. It was considered a pioneer in the Internet connection devices market. The company’s software–SmartStack–allowed customers in business-to-business markets to monitor all sorts of appliances 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from any location using the Internet as a virtual connection tool. Case A describes the Internet connection devices market, eDevice’s product, its customers and its growth until the end of 2001. In September 2001–two years and two rounds of financing after he founded the company–Marc Berrebi, eDevice’s CEO, faced a choice of four strategic directions that would define his company’s future and should allow it to go public by the end of 2004. Case A is supported by video A, in which Berrebi explains some of the barriers in selling new technology, using his first client as an example. In case B (video) Berrebi presents the strategic choices he made and the consequences they had in the period between September 2001 and May 2003. In case C (video) Berrebi describes the company’s next challenge: how to accelerate demand in a reluctant market and in the current economic conditions.
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