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Case Study
Contabilizei: Freeing entrepreneurs from Brazil’s tax complexity

The case focuses on Contabilizei, a Brazilian startup providing online accounting services for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The case study delves into the challenges faced by the company’s founder and CEO, Vitor Torres, as he navigated Brazil’s complex social and economic landscape. Issues such as Brazil’s byzantine tax system, dis…

Entrepreneurship Business to Business Digital Strategy
By Benoit F. Leleux, Diego Dias, Ariella Pfenninger, Daniel Töller and Thomas Villiger
Case reference: IMD-7-2546, © 2024
Contabilizei: Freeing entrepreneurs from Brazil’s tax complexity
By Benoit F. Leleux Diego Dias Ariella Pfenninger Daniel Töller and Thomas Villiger
Case reference: IMD-7-2546 ©2024
Summary
The case focuses on Contabilizei, a Brazilian startup providing online accounting services for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The case study delves into the challenges faced by the company’s founder and CEO, Vitor Torres, as he navigated Brazil’s complex social and economic landscape. Issues such as Brazil’s byzantine tax system, disparate educational quality and accessibility, and the high cost of doing business in the country are explored. Despite these barriers, Contabilizei demonstrated impressive growth, transforming digital innovation into standardized services. However, the rise of competitors and persistent profitability concerns prompt Torres to thoroughly explore future strategies to maintain market leadership and improve financial performance. The case provides an in-depth analysis of Brazil’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, examining its business, educational, legal and infrastructural realities and their implications for startups as well as the difficult step for startups to become established companies.
Reference IMD-7-2546
Copyright ©2024
Copyright owner IMD Copyright
Organization Contabilizei
Industry Finance and Insurance, Financial Services
Available Languages English
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Case Study
Metalshub: A steely approach to launching a B2B metal trading platform

Few Business to Business (B2B) marketplaces have succeeded. Metalshub has successfully combined a software platform as a service, with a marketplace matching supply and demand for raw materials used in the Metals and Mining industries. Through innovative pricing and business models, the company has managed to scale its operations in a short time…

Business to Business Digital Disruption Economics Operations Strategy
By Didier Bonnet, Geoffrey G. Parker and Lisa Simone Duke
Case reference: IMD-7-2457, © 2024
Metalshub: A steely approach to launching a B2B metal trading platform
By Didier Bonnet Geoffrey G. Parker and Lisa Simone Duke
Case reference: IMD-7-2457 ©2024
Summary
Few Business to Business (B2B) marketplaces have succeeded. Metalshub has successfully combined a software platform as a service, with a marketplace matching supply and demand for raw materials used in the Metals and Mining industries. Through innovative pricing and business models, the company has managed to scale its operations in a short timeframe.
Reference IMD-7-2457
Copyright ©2024
Copyright owner IMD Copyright
Organization Metalshub
Industry Materials, Metals and Mining
Available Languages English
Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Case Study
Vestiaire Collective: What lessons for luxury brands’ next business models? (Mini case)

By 2023, the global online resale marketplace Vestiaire Collective – founded in 2009 – had attracted more than 23 million members across 50 countries. Investors included global luxury group Kering. According to Vestiaire Collective’s executives, the secondhand apparel market was valued at between US$100 billion and US$120 billion. The company de…

Sustainability Digital Strategy
By Stéphane J. G. Girod and Martin Králik
Case reference: IMD-7-2526, © 2023
Vestiaire Collective: What lessons for luxury brands’ next business models? (Mini case)
By Stéphane J. G. Girod and Martin Králik
Case reference: IMD-7-2526 ©2023
Summary
By 2023, the global online resale marketplace Vestiaire Collective – founded in 2009 – had attracted more than 23 million members across 50 countries. Investors included global luxury group Kering. According to Vestiaire Collective’s executives, the secondhand apparel market was valued at between US$100 billion and US$120 billion. The company described itself as having a “a circular business model” and being “one piece of the puzzle in circularity.” Vestiaire’s leaders estimated that buying a used garment extended its life by 2.2 years, on average, reducing its environmental footprint by 90%. In addition, 82% of items bought on Vestiaire were believed to have replaced a first-hand purchase. Furthermore, Vestiaire was the first fashion resale platform to ban ultra-fast fashion. The company was also one of the first marketplaces to insert itself as a trustworthy middleman by authenticating the items for sale. Nevertheless, the fashion resale market was seeing significant consolidation, suggesting that only the biggest and fittest would survive. As of April 2023, Vestiaire Collective was still not profitable. Selling pre-worn clothes online remained a challenging process where every item must be sorted, priced, photographed and described in a listing. Against this backdrop, what were Vestiaire Collective’s best bets to achieve profitability? Importantly, should luxury brands venture into this territory – and if so, how?
Reference IMD-7-2526
Copyright ©2023
Copyright owner IMD Copyright
Organization Vestiaire Collective
Industry Consumer Goods, Luxury Goods and Jewelry;Consumer Goods, Apparel and Fashion
Available Languages English
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Case Study
Drinkotec: Changing a company, changing a life (C): Dream big or go home

It is now four years later, and Drinkotec is scaling up fast. They’ve had to make some tough decisions in order to focus, have the best people and build the culture that they want, but today, major beverage companies are seeking their technology in order to go packaging-free. This case is about leadership, culture, sustainability and taking the …

Entrepreneurship Business to Business Digital Leadership Sustainability
By Jim Pulcrano, Giancarlo Luchetta Bedin, Srinivas Reddy (Srini) Mamidi, Anton Rozhkovskiy and Bakel Walden
Case reference: IMD-7-2488, © 2023
Drinkotec: Changing a company, changing a life (C): Dream big or go home
By Jim Pulcrano Giancarlo Luchetta Bedin Srinivas Reddy (Srini) Mamidi Anton Rozhkovskiy and Bakel Walden
Case reference: IMD-7-2488 ©2023
Summary
It is now four years later, and Drinkotec is scaling up fast. They’ve had to make some tough decisions in order to focus, have the best people and build the culture that they want, but today, major beverage companies are seeking their technology in order to go packaging-free. This case is about leadership, culture, sustainability and taking the leap to follow your dreams.
Reference IMD-7-2488
Copyright ©2023
Copyright owner IMD Copyright
Organization Drinkotec
Industry Consumer Goods;Consumer Goods, Food and Beverage
Available Languages English
Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications