Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division

System Design and Management Program

Christopher Alexis Blade Kotelly

High tech startups can be exciting places to work. Unlike many large corporate environments, startups offer new challenges almost every day, innovation is a sine qua non, and the rewards can be colossal both from financial and intellectual perspectives. People in startups can make their own rules, and change them at will. It's not uncommon for startups to change significantly as each new hire is added, since the impact of a single person in a small organization is significant. However, if a startup doesn't pay attention to the elements that do make many large corporations successful, they risk falling into traps that can result in failure. This paper shows the problems facing a particular startup that had grown quickly because of the brilliance of the ideas behind their technology and the founder, and offers suggested remedies.

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