What do you think?
Rate this book
Capital Instincts: Life As an Entrepreneur, Financier, and Athlete
An insider's view of the investment banking world from someone who is actually shaping it Powerful, controversial and determined, Thomas Weisel is known for his unwavering focus on winning the race, whether he is competing in a national cycling championship, sponsoring Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong or negotiating with business competitors. For twenty-seven years he ran one of the major investment banks on the West Coast, bringing public companies such as Applied Materials, Siebel Systems and Yahoo! and was instrumental in establishing San Francisco as an alternative financial center to Wall Street. In 1997 he sold his company to NationsBank, which later merged with Bank of America. Unhappy with his treatment after the merger, Weisel trumped Bank of America by negotiating a separation package that included $500 million in stock options and the ability to hire away crucial Bank of America management. Within two years, the investment bank he started, Thomas Weisel Partners, reached half a billion dollars in revenues and negotiated high-profile deals such as Yahoo!'s merger with Geocities. Power Investor weaves Weisel's approach to success, his competitive nature and love of cycling into a fascinating inside account of the cutthroat world of investment banking. Thomas Weisel (San Francisco, CA) is the founder, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of Thomas Weisel Partners, a research-driven merchant bank exclusively focused on the growth sectors of the U.S. economy. He is founder and president of Tailwind Sports, which manages the U.S. Postal Service cycling team, and was an Olympic-class speed skater and the former chairman of the U.S. Ski Foundation.
Richard Brandt (San Francisco, CA) has twenty years' experience as a leading business journalist. He was a senior reporter for BusinessWeek for fourteen years and editor in chief of the technology business magazine Upside for four years.
Richard Brandt (San Francisco, CA) has twenty years' experience as a leading business journalist. He was a senior reporter for BusinessWeek for fourteen years and editor in chief of the technology business magazine Upside for four years.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 24, 2003
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
Read
April 10, 2025technology stocks that seemed to have invented a cure for gravity.
Montgomery’s annual investment conference in San Francisco, for example, was famous for bringing together the CEOs of some of the most promising technology companies, who made their pitch to institutional investors that controlled trillions of dollars of assets. Stock prices of presenting companies often jumped during these conferences.
$360 million of it was in the form of “golden handcuffs”—stock to be paid out to Weisel and his partners over three years, as long as they were still with the firm.
Hambrecht has pioneered a method of “dutch auctions” for IPOs, which allows average investors in on the IPO process for the first time.
a 37th-floor corner office with a multi-million-dollar view; large, polished wood desk; one Bloomberg and one Bridge terminal with stock listings floating down the screens
He stands at average height, a little over 5 feet, 10 inches, but he leaves one with the impression of being much taller. He looks at least 10 years younger than his actual age. With a long and narrow face, he’s not movie star handsome, but he has a steady gaze that seems to always be evaluating what he sees with quiet self-assurance.
if somebody doesn’t get along with him, it’s generally their problem, not his.
He’s smart, and he’s calculating. He seems to treat everything like a chess game, studying the different angles, calculating his moves several steps ahead.
one should have a realistic but optimistic outlook.
Employee compensation is roughly 50 percent of total expenses.
Montgomery’s annual investment conference in San Francisco, for example, was famous for bringing together the CEOs of some of the most promising technology companies, who made their pitch to institutional investors that controlled trillions of dollars of assets. Stock prices of presenting companies often jumped during these conferences.
$360 million of it was in the form of “golden handcuffs”—stock to be paid out to Weisel and his partners over three years, as long as they were still with the firm.
Hambrecht has pioneered a method of “dutch auctions” for IPOs, which allows average investors in on the IPO process for the first time.
a 37th-floor corner office with a multi-million-dollar view; large, polished wood desk; one Bloomberg and one Bridge terminal with stock listings floating down the screens
He stands at average height, a little over 5 feet, 10 inches, but he leaves one with the impression of being much taller. He looks at least 10 years younger than his actual age. With a long and narrow face, he’s not movie star handsome, but he has a steady gaze that seems to always be evaluating what he sees with quiet self-assurance.
if somebody doesn’t get along with him, it’s generally their problem, not his.
He’s smart, and he’s calculating. He seems to treat everything like a chess game, studying the different angles, calculating his moves several steps ahead.
one should have a realistic but optimistic outlook.
Employee compensation is roughly 50 percent of total expenses.
Displaying 1 of 1 review