This case study focuses on Back to the Roots (BTTR), a company started by two founders while they were still students at the University of California at Berkeley. It takes place in 2014, five years after Alejandro ""Alex"" Velez and Nikhil Arora formed a partnership based on their shared interest in creating economic value and social impact through commercial alternatives. Over this age, BTTR has evolved from a test bed of youthful inquisitiveness to an award winning and recognizable type. Since inception, the management of BTTR has either modified or substantially pivoted the business design of the company at least five times, with their most recent success coming from a suite of Sustainable Do-it-Yourself Products. Having only raised their first round of professional investment capital, BTTR is at an inflection point, preparing to enter BTTR into the cereal CPG group that is very competitive.
This multi-faceted case has a wide group of programs across entrepreneurship and strategy, with a particularly exceptional view of the intersection between social purpose and commercial solutions. It presents the non-linear path that most start-ups take in finding offerings and the value propositions that resonate with their planned stakeholders. Additionally, this case offers a unique example of bootstrapping a company from a college setting to an investable and scalable company.
This is just an excerpt. This case is about INNOVATION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
PUBLICATION DATE: June 10, 2015 PRODUCT #: B5834-PDF-ENG
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