E140B
William Barnett, Brad Wolfe
2004
This case documents the many challenges faced by protagonists John Fowler and Josh Greenberg, two young post-MBAs who embarked on a brave journey otherwise known as the search fund process. Although possessing limited real-world experience, these best…
E168
R. Ellis, Alicia Seiger
2004
Sarah Harris, a young, recent MBA student, sets out to raise a search fund and acquire a company in the hospitality business. The case sets up a backdrop for students to role play various selling situations for a would-be entrepreneur. There are a…
E179
H. Grousbeck, Alicia Seiger
2004
The case takes the reader through Julie’s initial effort to raise money simultaneous to identifying an industry and an acquisition target. Julie eventually settles on the for profit post-secondary education industry and raises funds to purchase a small…
E162
H. Grousbeck, Mu Li
2003
A search fund is an investment vehicle in which investors financially support an entrepreneur’s efforts to locate and acquire a privately held company. This study, as part of an on-going effort at the Stanford GSB to monitor the performance and evolution…
E137
H. Grousbeck, Alicia Seiger
2003
The case puts the reader in the position of Scott Bekemeyer, whose search fund just acquired Valley Fire Protection Company. Immediately upon taking over the company, Scott faces a serious of difficult issues, including a deviant branch manager, a non…
E164
Joel Peterson, Alicia Seiger
2003
Russell Poore set out to raise a search fund but ultimately decided to conduct an unfounded search . He identified two target companies in the document destruction business, one in Salt Lake City, Utah and one in Phoenix, Arizona. He raised capital from…
E163A
James Lattin, Mark Leslie, Erin Yurday
2003
Peter Kelly became CEO of Med-Mart, a home health supply company, shortly after his search fund acquired it in 1993. Unfortunately, the first two years running Med-Mart were fraught with disappointing discoveries. At the time of purchase, Med-Mart’s sales…
E120
Christopher Flanagan, H. Grousbeck
2002
A search fund is an investment vehicle in which investors financially support an entrepreneurs’ efforts to locate and acquire a privately held company. This study examines investment returns of first-time search funds.
E140A
William Barnett, Janet Feldstein
2002
In the spring of 2001, two recent graduates of Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, John Fowler and Josh Greenberg, founded Montebello Capital, a search fund, as a vehicle for buying a company that they would run as CEO and president. The case follows…
E107
Christopher Flanagan, Charles Holloway
2002
This case examines the myriad of issues faced by two entrepreneurs who use the “search fund” model to search for, purchase, and ultimately operate a home health care services company. The “search fund” is a proven investment vehicle through which a group…
E75
H. Grousbeck, Keith Sigg
2000
In launching an assisted living organization, an entrepreneur faces operational challenges, causing her to question the current leadership team’s abilities to successfully grow the company.
E81
Harold Grousbeck, Brian Trelstad
2000
The case profiles the start-up and financing of RentWise, a national chain of Rent-to-Own stores. Doug Wells graduated from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1995 and started a search fund to identify business opportunities in an industry…
E21
Lauren Dutton, Jim Ellis, H. Grousbeck, Kevin Taweel
1995
Two entrepreneurs raise a search fund and acquire and Emergency Roadside Assistance service.
SB102
Harold Grousbeck, David Dodson
1987
The case discusses the trials and eventual success of two young Harvard MBAs who chose to purchase a company immediately upon graduation from their MBA program. Having no assets of their own, Kirk and Jamie raised a search fund to meet expenses during…
