Flywire: Early challenges for a future unicorn (B)
After accepting the position of CEO at PeerTransfer, Mike Massaro faced crucial decisions in late 2014 as the company, which had been struggling before his appointment, was now back on track and growing rapidly. Having achieved profitability and rapid growth, Massaro now grappled with several key decisions as he charted the development of PeerTransfer:
- Whether to focus on closing a Series C funding round to accelerate growth,
- Whether the company should explore new verticals outside of education or maintain focus on its core segment,
- And whether PeerTransfer should enter additional international markets.
Additionally, Massaro confronted the challenges of managing the stress of a rapidly growing organization and had to ensure alignment and effectiveness.
What material is included in this case:
Description
After accepting the position of CEO at PeerTransfer, Mike Massaro faced crucial decisions in late 2014 as the company, which had been struggling before his appointment, was now back on track and growing rapidly. Having achieved profitability and rapid growth, Massaro now grappled with several key decisions as he charted the development of PeerTransfer:
- Whether to focus on closing a Series C funding round to accelerate growth,
- Whether the company should explore new verticals outside of education or maintain focus on its core segment,
- And whether PeerTransfer should enter additional international markets.
Additionally, Massaro confronted the challenges of managing the stress of a rapidly growing organization and had to ensure alignment and effectiveness.
Learning Objective
The case provides an opportunity to explore the tension between focus and growth, analyze early-stage business models, discuss the evolving role of the entrepreneur, and evaluate scale-up decisions.
Learning objectives include:
- Evaluate the fit between an individual and a venture opportunity.
- Analyze the evolution of a startup’s business model and economics.
- Understand when and how a new venture should race for scale.
- Consider how to track and guide growth through operational metrics and dashboards.
- Discuss how to balance opportunity pursuit with organizational capacity.
- Reflect on leadership evolution during scaling phases.
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"Flywire: Early challenges for a future unicorn (B)"
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