Queremos! Case: challenges of a startup in the pandemic

Abstract

Created in Rio de Janeiro in 2010, Queremos! came up with an innovative proposal to bring fans and artists together through a crowdfunding structure, which made it possible to perform shows in locations that normally would not be covered in the original tours. After repositioning the business model in 2013, the company abandoned the crowdfunding model that made it famous and focused on the production of live events. This enabled an expansion to the USA between 2013 and 2016 and gave the brand a strong presence in the main Brazilian capitals in the following years. However, after its best year in 2019, the company was surprised by the COVID-19 pandemic, which drastically affected the entertainment and live events sector in Brazil and worldwide. The case puts the readers in the role of the company’s partners in order to reflect on the strategic and operational challenges that Queremos! had to face from the prohibitions on live events due to the pandemic. The case is recommended for undergraduate and graduate students of administration and cultural production courses concerned with discussing topics and concepts related to the area of planning in times of uncertainty, risk analysis, management of changes, business modeling, and innovation in startups.