The case is developed primarily on the interview conducted with Mr Dhvanil Sheth, founder and CEO of Skillmatics. Case writers have also extensively explored secondary sources like published research articles, news articles and market research reports.
Skillmatics, an Indian toy brand, was among the leading educational toy companies selling in online and offline categories for the North American and Indian markets. The company had successfully achieved over $56.8m in revenue in 2024 and operated profitably with minimal capital burn. To its credit, it grew 10× from 2020 to 2024.
As the company accomplished greater heights, Dhvanil Sheth, the CEO of Skillmatics, also assessed the scaling opportunities and challenges for his company. With strong top-line numbers, came the responsibility of assuring a secure position in an increasingly volatile world of changing supply chains, dynamic geopolitical issues and changing consumer patterns. To grow 10× (from $56.8m to $600m), Sheth had to make multiple strategic choices: should he continue to focus on the current target segment and geography, or look at new target segments and new geographies? To be able to compete in multiple products/markets to achieve his growth targets, how could he effectively integrate AI to create a sustainable business model?
This case is suitable for undergraduate, first-year and second-year MBA students. It can be taught as part of both core and elective courses in business model innovation, entrepreneurship, product management and digital marketing. The case is designed to facilitate engaging discussion in a class of 20–50 students. The instructor may choose to adopt interactive online tools to administer the case via an online mode of delivery. For better discussions, during online class discussions, the instructor may use the breakout sessions functionality of the online meeting platforms.
