Steven Carpenter at Cake Financial

Abstract

After investing $9 million of venture capital, Cake Financial had failed to reach critical mass. In early 2010 Cake's assets were sold and the company was dissolved. Founded in 2006, the San Francisco-based Internet company allowed users to monitor their investments and communicate with each other about their portfolio strategies. The case recounts key decisions made by founder and CEO Steve Carpenter, including several "pivots" -- shifts in business model, position, and strategy -- made by Cake's team in response to market feedback.

Learning Objective: Analyze factors that caused a start-up to fall short of its founder's expectations and explore alternative strategies and management approaches that might have led to a better outcome.