WI Harper - Strategic Crossroads

“WI Harper – Strategic Crossroads” presents the strategic dilemmas faced by a foreign venture firm with over one decade of making cross-border investments in Asia – with particular emphasis in China. The case is set in the 2006-07 time frame, as the investment environment in China is triggered by an accelerated inflow of capital, raising the question of how WI Harper should best leverage from its regional expertise before raising its next fund. Other dilemmas faced by the firm include: re-evaluating its approach to cross-border investments, retaining its investment principles, and dealing with the growing pains of evolving from an informally-managed regional fund to a blue-chip institution-backed global fund. Most importantly, this case uses WI Harper’s Chinese presence to illustrate the effects of a heated investment environment on an incumbent VC firm, allowing for a balanced discussion about its strategic alternatives given an increasingly global investment environment.