From Executive to Entrepreneur
(EXECUTIVE BRIEF WITH UDAYAN BOSE, Founder CEO, NetElixir)

This case chronicles the journey of a technological entrepreneur, Udayan Bose (Bose) – hailing from a small town in eastern India. Bose went on to create a successful web search-optimisation company, NetElixir in 2003 – when the IT boom was at its peak. This case charts his ordeal in giving up a lucrative job to become a first-generation entrepreneur, who ventured into a less glamorous business then – search optimisation.

His company’s motto is clear from its website: “As a pioneer and leader in Pay-per-Click (PPC) campaign management services, NetElixir helps business leverage the full potential of paid search advertising. Our mission is to empower online marketers extend their reach, acquire valuable customers, build their business and stay ahead of the competition – profitably and reliably – through efficiently managed PPC campaigns.” The case also dwells on the saga of Bose in raising the initial capital, allocating the limited capital, executing his business plan and getting the right people. Numerous lessons can be learnt about how to build a great company, from a creator who saw his startup grow, stumble and re-bounce.

The case is set in 2003 when Bose – a graduate from the prestigious IIT Delhi – started NetElixir in the south Indian city, Hyderabad. It stirs an absorbing analysis about why a married top-earner would want to turn into a focused entrepreneur. Primarily, this Executive Brief (video case study) can be used for courses in entrepreneurship – startup strategy or technological startup strategy. As an important part of administering this video case study in the classroom, the faculty should be clear about the target audience.

Pedagogical Objectives

• To understand and analyze the motivating factors of an entrepreneur (what triggers setting up a venture, especially by someone who was a lucratively paid employee).
• To understand the critical success factors during the startup, stabilization and growth phases of entrepreneurship.
• To debate on the style of entrepreneurial leadership required for a tech-startup, against any other kind of startup.

This Executive Brief is best suited for:

• Entrepreneurship Course :
  • What triggers entrepreneurial ventures – especially for a first generation entrepreneur who is well settled with a family; does it make sense to take unwarranted risk of hanging up the boots and plunge into unknown waters
  • Hiring decisions
  • Managing short term and long term growth
  • Dilemmas in scaling up the operations – what should be the new role of the CEO of a company well into four years of its successful operations?
• Technology Start Ups

Part I: Executive Brief

Nature: Sample
Duration: 8:02 min

Part II: Executive Response

Nature: Sample
Duration: 4:41 min

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