DongWu Chinese Kitchen turned Xiaohongshu buzz into a second Düsseldorf branch
After Chinese diaspora diners began travelling to Düsseldorf via Xiaohongshu, DongWu used the demand to open a second branch in November 2022.
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2,000 PUBLISHED CASES · REGULARLY UPDATEDPymetrics used blind auditions to increase women matched to finance roles by 30%
Pymetrics used blind auditions and fairness algorithms; its whitepaper reported 30% more women matched to finance roles, with funding above $16M.
Read the casePhilippe Cassegrain took over Longchamp in 1972 and created Le Pliage
After his father died in 1972, Philippe Cassegrain moved Longchamp from pipes to leather and nylon bags, creating Le Pliage in 1993.
Read the caseZomato's ₹4,447cr Blinkit bet turned a ₹971cr loss into its first annual profit
Investors panned Zomato's 2022 all-stock Blinkit buy; by FY24 the company posted its first profit (₹351cr) and by FY26 Blinkit itself was EBITDA-positive.
Read the caseVietnam sold 54% of brewer Sabeco to ThaiBev for $4.8bn in a single 2017 auction
On 18 December 2017, Thai Beverage's local unit won a 53.59% stake in state brewer Sabeco for $4.8bn — Vietnam's largest-ever privatisation.
Read the casePiñatería Ramírez turned meme timing into a piñata publicity engine
Piñatería Ramírez broke from traditional stars, built a viral Arjen Robben meme piñata, and made internet trends part of its sales and publicity loop.
Read the caseAgnelli family handed Fiat to outsider CEO Marchionne and saved the company
After the deaths of Gianni and Umberto Agnelli, 28-year-old heir John Elkann backed Sergio Marchionne as CEO; Fiat went from €1.5B losses to profit by 2005.
Read the caseFinal Fantasy VII Remake shipped 3.5M copies in three days
Square Enix rebuilt the 1997 classic as a multi-part PS4 epic; the first installment shipped 3.5M units in three days with 'exceptional' digital sales.
Read the caseTata Motors split into two listed companies once its EV and JLR bet paid off
In March 2024 Tata Motors moved to demerge its commercial and passenger businesses via an NCLT scheme, after seven loss-making quarters turned to record profit.
Read the caseIcahn's board fight ended with ImClone selling to Lilly for $70 a share
After Carl Icahn pushed into ImClone's boardroom, the biotech sold to Eli Lilly for $6.5B — a 51% premium that vindicated his fight.
Read the caseDaniela Otoya turned TikTok import advice into a 100,000-follower business
Daniela Otoya turned a viral wholesale-buying tip into paid import courses, brokerage, and warehouse services; her TikTok audience passed 100,000 by early 2023.
Read the caseThird Point's 6% stake added three Bath & Body Works directors
Third Point took a 6% stake and pushed for cost cuts and board expertise; Bath & Body Works added three directors and Loeb dropped his proxy fight.
Read the caseFila re-released a 1990s sneaker and revived a dying brand.
The Disruptor 2, reintroduced in 2017, helped Fila sales jump 52% to 1.2 trillion won in 2018; shares rose 400%.
Read the caseFinland's Wolt sold itself to DoorDash — all-stock — and became its international engine
Helsinki's delivery underdog (2014) sold all-stock to DoorDash (~$8.1B announced, ~$3.5B at close) and became its international engine — 45 markets by 2025.
Read the caseCGG cut ~$2B of debt in a 2017 restructuring, then grew 2023 revenue 21% as Viridien
CGG's 2017 sauvegarde/Chapter 11 plan eliminated ~$1.95B of debt; renamed Viridien, it grew 2023 segment revenue 21% to $1,125M with positive cash flow.
Read the caseShawalo Seb swapped a 30-egg mukbang for Naga cuisine and built a paying audience
Shawalo Seb replaced generic mukbang stunts with local Naga food, turning cultural specificity into a signature dish and about ₹12,000 in monthly income.
Read the caseLadeira Poonian took over iBase-t after her husband died and built it back
After Amrik Poonian died in 1998, widow Ladeira Poonian ran iBase-t with no preparation, saw it through near-bankruptcy and built it back.
Read the caseToyota ended the Supra's 17-year hiatus with a BMW-twin GR Supra.
Toyota brought the Supra nameplate back in 2019 after 17 years away, using the GAZOO Racing sports division to rebuild a halo car.
Read the caseThailand's Chirathivats quietly bought Europe's luxury department stores
The Chirathivat family bought Rinascente, Illum, KaDeWe, Globus and Selfridges one by one, and outlasted Signa's collapse to own Selfridges with Saudi PIF.
Read the caseAncora's eOne campaign helped Hasbro sell its film studio to Lionsgate
Ancora demanded Hasbro sell Entertainment One in 2022; a year later the toy maker offloaded it for ~$500M and paid down debt.
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