The MU Chip

by Andrew Isaacs


Mu Chip was a breakthrough in semiconductor technology, a microscopic chip that involves tags that emit radio signals that devices called readers can pick up. The Mu Chip could be used, for example, to integrate the chip into clothing labels so that when a customer buys a pair of jeans, that information was sent to the company's database. Expensive brands could put the Mu Chips in their products to hinder counterfeit products. The announcement of the Mu Chip had made a big splash, and more than 900 companies had expressed interest in incorporating the Mu Chip's innovative technology into their products. Most of these prospects were Japanese companies, but many were multinational firms, with European or U.S. headquarters. The biggest problem now was deciding which prospects and which applications made the most sense for the new company to pursue.

Learning Objectives


The main case study objective is to teach students how to think through organizational issues related to having a venture-funded organization within a larger company like Hitachi. The case study also allows students to discuss how to evaluate product applications for a technological product like the Mu Chip.

Details

Pub Date: Oct 19, 2002

Discipline: Entrepreneurship

Subjects: Startup, Venture capital, Innovation, Leadership, Technology, Organizational structure, Corporate strategy, Manufacturing, Start-ups, Growth strategy

Product #: B5700-PDF-ENG

Industry: Technology,Apparel,Venture capital,Semiconductors,Manufacturing

Geography: United States, Japan, Europe

Length: 25 page(s)


Berkeley Haas Case Series
Berkeley Haas Case Series The Berkeley Haas Case Series is a collection of business case studies written by faculty members at the Haas School of Business. Cases are conceived, developed, written, and published throughout the year, on subjects ranging from entrepreneurship and strategy to finance and marketing. Each case includes a teaching note for use in the classroom.

Recommended

Berkeley Haas Case Series

A new collection of business case studies from Berkeley Haas

The aim of the Berkeley Haas Case Series is to incite business innovation by clarifying disruptive trends and questioning the status quo.

Learn more
Follow Us