TO COMPLICATE OR TO UNCOMPLICATE? REFLEXIONS ABOUT MAKE-BUY DECISIONS IN THE LARGEST BRAZILIAN EDUCATION STARTUP

ABSTRACT

The case recounts the path taken by the educational startup Descomplica (uncomplicate in english), from the original idea that created the company until its growth, highlighting the organizational dilemmas related to the make-buy decisions in its key processes, aiming to combine the exponential growth in client-base with special attention to quality in the services provided. The situation described takes place between 2010 and 2012, and has the company’s founder Marco Fisbhen as the main character in this case. The entrepreneur, who boasted a 17-year experience in administering live classes in college exam preparatory courses, decided to record his lectures and make them available online with the National Secondary Education Exam (known by its Portuguese acronym “ENEM”) in mind, aiming to scale the service provided by using the internet as the main distribution media. The challenges faced by Fisbhen and his organization beginning with the acquisition of investments, are also discussed in the case, which analyzes the pros and cons of the financing options made available to the company. As a teaching tool, the case was devised to support entrepreneurial ideals, business management, and innovation in undergraduate and graduate courses, promoting the discussion and evaluation among students of the advantages and disadvantages of each of the situations described in the document. As a secondary goal, the case offers to readers an introduction to tools for business structuring, development, and the validation of ideas, inspired by the teachings of Eric Ries and other authors of literature on startups and lean startups. The case additionally provides a great array of information about education in the Brazilian landscape, highlighting its tendency to increase the growth of the target market for the company in question, with the standardization of ENEM in 2009.

Keywords:
Make-Buy Decisions; Core Competencies; Vertical Integration; Lean Startup; Descomplica