The case describes how Spanish entrepreneurs Daniel González de Vega and Javier Arroyo founded Smartick with the aim of tackling the poor level of math education in their native Spain. Smartick is a self-financed enterprise that combines social impact with profitability.

The Michel et Augustin case tells the story of Michel de Rovira and Augustin Paluel-Marmont as they set up their company Michel et Augustin in 2005 to brand and sell sablé cookies. The founders have a vision of creating a brand that can prosper in a competitive market dominated by big players and full of commoditized offerings.

Paulo Pereira da Silva, a Swiss-trained physicist and CEO of Renova, a privately-owned Portuguese paper company, was attending a Cirque du Soleil show when he first came up with the idea of black toilet paper. To see how far-fetched the idea is, bear in mind that toilet paper is a highly commoditized category with sluggish growth and little innovation.

Parfums Cacharel, a division of L’Oréal, used to have a dominating position on the European market with both the number one and number two best-selling fragrances: Anaïs Anaïs and Loulou. At the time of the case however, sales were declining at a rate of 15 % per year and Cacharel was a fragrance brand in need of a major revitalization.