We are professors at INSEAD who research, teach and implement risk driven business models. In our research, we have documented hundreds of successful risk driven business models and have used the method to generate new business ideas, start new companies and revitalize existing companies.
Karan Girotra
Karan Girotra is Professor of Technology and Operations Management at INSEAD. Karan's main teaching and research interests are in the areas of entrepreneurship, business model audit, design and innovation.
Karan's research has examined the substance and process of business model innovation. His research has appeared in top academic journals, has been featured extensively in the business press and is summarized in his recent book “The Risk-Driven Business Model: Four Questions that will Define your Company”, HBR Press, 2014.
Girotra has been a keynote speaker at major global events such as the World Knowledge Forum and for corporations such as McKinsey, Johnson and Johnson and Medtronic. He has designed and led workshops on the generation, selection, and refinement of new business opportunities for participants ranging from aspiring entrepreneurs to large corporations around the world, including ABB (US, EMEA, and Asia), Johnson & Johnson (EMEA), International Flavors & Fragrances (US), Orascom Telecom (Lebanon), Bayer (Germany), Sonepar (France), Yapi Kredi (Turkey). He is a winner of the best professor award in the MBA program at INSEAD, two-time runner-up for the best professor award in the executive MBA program, and four-time winner of the dean’s award for excellence in teaching.
In addition to his academic work, Karan is a founder of Terrapass Inc., which the New York Times identified as one of the most noteworthy ideas of 2005. He continues to actively engage with startups as an advisor, investor and mentor. Some recent advisees include startups that are planning to disrupt traditional business models in the residential services, beauty salon, and the automated retail industries.
Karan holds a PhD in Managerial Sciences and Applied Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, an AM degree from the Wharton School and a Bachelor of Technology degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
Karan blogs about business model innovation at renaissanceinnovator.com and is a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review bloggers network.
Follow Karan on twitter @GirotraK
Download High-resolution Image
Serguei Netessine
Serguei Netessine is the Timken Chaired Professor of Global Technology and Innovation at INSEAD and the Research Director of the INSEAD-Wharton alliance. Prior to joining INSEAD in 2010, he has been a faculty member at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, which he joined in 2001.
Prof. Netessine received BS/MS degrees in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from Moscow Institute of Electronic Technology and, after working for Motorola and Lucent Technologies, he also received MS/Ph.D. degrees in Operations Management from the University of Rochester. His current research focuses on business model innovation and operational excellence and he worked on these topics with numerous organizations including Federal Aviation Administration (USA), Lockheed Martin, Procter & Gamble, McDonald’s, Rolls Royce, Comcast, Expedia, ABB and US Air Force. Additionally, he serves on advisory boards of multiple startup companies. Professor Netessine is a frequent speaker on innovation at industry events including World Knowledge Forum.
Professor Netessine has been the recipient of several teaching awards for delivering classes to MBA and Executive MBA students at the Wharton School and INSEAD, and he frequently teaches in Executive Education Programs. Prolific academic writer, professor Netessine holds senior editorial positions at several leading academic journals and he co-authored dozens of publications in prominent management journals, including Harvard Business Review. His work has received extensive media coverage in CIO Magazine, the Economist, Forbes, Multichannel Merchant, New York Times, US News and Strategy & Business and other media outlets. He is the authors of “The Risk-Driven Business Model: Four Questions that Will Define Your Company” (Harvard Business Press, 2014) and he regularly blogs about innovation at renaissanceinnovator.com. Follow him on Twitter @snetesin.