HBR On Strategy

Khan Academy: A Case Study in Scaling a Start-Up


Listen Later

Khan Academy, the online global education nonprofit, launched in 2006 when founder Sal Khan created a few videos to help his cousin with her math homework. After a decade of growth brought Khan Academy’s user base to more than 15 million monthly visitors, Khan knew he needed expert help to formulate and lead a strategy for the organization’s future growth.


He hired Ginny Lee from Intuit to serve as Khan Academy’s COO and president. Her mandate was to redefine the organization’s priorities, create a focused strategy for growth, and continue scaling the company.

Harvard Business School professor Bill Sahlman studied the company’s growth strategy, and wrote a business case study about it. He explains why it’s so important to build a well-balanced leadership team as part of your growth strategy. He also breaks down how to create processes for everything from budgeting to giving feedback. .


Key episode topics include: strategy, leadership and managing people, operations and supply chain management, digital learning, growth strategy.

HBR On Strategy curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock new ways of doing business. New episodes every week.

· Listen to the original HBR Cold Call episode: Can Khan Academy Scale to Educate Anyone, Anywhere? (2019)

· Find more episodes of Cold Call

· Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

HBR On StrategyBy Harvard Business Review

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

66 ratings


More shows like HBR On Strategy

View all
HBR IdeaCast by Harvard Business Review

HBR IdeaCast

237 Listeners

The Look & Sound of Leadership by Essential Communications - Tom Henschel

The Look & Sound of Leadership

1,139 Listeners

The McKinsey Podcast by McKinsey & Company

The McKinsey Podcast

381 Listeners

Coaching for Leaders by Dave Stachowiak

Coaching for Leaders

1,480 Listeners

TED Business by TED

TED Business

1,134 Listeners

The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving by FirmsConsulting.com & StrategyTraining.com

The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving

111 Listeners

Cold Call by HBR Presents / Brian Kenny

Cold Call

189 Listeners

Women at Work by Harvard Business Review

Women at Work

1,371 Listeners

Dear HBR: by Harvard Business Review

Dear HBR:

749 Listeners

HBS Managing the Future of Work by Harvard Business School

HBS Managing the Future of Work

107 Listeners

Inside the Strategy Room by McKinsey & Company

Inside the Strategy Room

169 Listeners

Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques by Matt Abrahams, Think Fast Talk Smart

Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

775 Listeners

Coaching Real Leaders by Harvard Business Review / Muriel Wilkins

Coaching Real Leaders

591 Listeners

The So What from BCG by Boston Consulting Group BCG

The So What from BCG

219 Listeners

Fixable by TED

Fixable

219 Listeners

HBR On Leadership by Harvard Business Review

HBR On Leadership

131 Listeners

New Here by Harvard Business Review

New Here

76 Listeners