Kalani : product development and leadership in a new venture

The development of a start-up creating physical products follows a different path than those working in the digital space. The process of creation requires multiple steps, with many disparate people involved in those steps. Kalani was created to work with artisans to promote their disappearing crafts, thus supporting their economies and providing an opportunity for the continuation of the craft. The first product was to create blankets in Portugal, with artisans in a village in Serra de Estrela. The blankets are ultrafine merino wool, with fabric manipulation done by hand that are techniques unique to the artisans. The thesis aims to provide an overview of the process for physical product development, and the way in which leadership as the CEO of an international startup functions. Creating a physical product requires many iterations in concept development before actual product development is launched. Managing both product development and working with artisans in a different country and culture provided many challenges and rewards. The thesis aims to prove that products can be made that meet the demands of the luxury market, while maintaining high social and ethical standards.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering and Management Program

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2018

Author dc:creator

• Qureshi, Attia

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Matthew S. Kressy.

• Engineering and Management Program.
• Integrated Design and Management Program.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/118527

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/118527