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If You Really Want to Change the World: A Guide to Creating, Building, and Sustaining Breakthrough Ventures
Silicon Valley’s popular approach to creating new ventures is rooted in trial and error—test markets with new concepts and a minimum amount of capital, and hope for valuable businesses to emerge. But this fail-fast, hit-or-miss, step-and-pivot, or tech-first philosophy can leave a trail of destruction and loss in its wake. It can be like a random walk in the forest—without a compass. This book is about helping the great entrepreneurs find true north.
Henry Kressel and Norman Winarsky—technologists, inventors, and investors with stellar track records—have an approach for those who wish to create a market-leading company that will make an impact on the world: a disciplined and staged approach they’ve used to launch, invest in, and develop dozens of successful companies—and to create whole new markets.
The method they describe takes the entrepreneur by the hand, step-by-step, through the critical stages of development of a great venture, from concept to acquisition or public offering, to being a mature company seeking to maintain its culture of innovation. It is a guide by innovators and for innovators, with approaches that are timeless.
So You Want to Change the World is your guide to creating massively successful ventures. Drawing on the authors’ experiences as well as those of their partners from around the world, Kressel and Winarsky share the stories of their triumphs and misses as of a way of demonstrating their method and inspiring their readers. They guide entrepreneurs and innovators in companies of all scale—start-ups, research institutions, government agencies, and corporations—on how to execute with the aim of creating companies that can change the world.
Henry Kressel and Norman Winarsky—technologists, inventors, and investors with stellar track records—have an approach for those who wish to create a market-leading company that will make an impact on the world: a disciplined and staged approach they’ve used to launch, invest in, and develop dozens of successful companies—and to create whole new markets.
The method they describe takes the entrepreneur by the hand, step-by-step, through the critical stages of development of a great venture, from concept to acquisition or public offering, to being a mature company seeking to maintain its culture of innovation. It is a guide by innovators and for innovators, with approaches that are timeless.
So You Want to Change the World is your guide to creating massively successful ventures. Drawing on the authors’ experiences as well as those of their partners from around the world, Kressel and Winarsky share the stories of their triumphs and misses as of a way of demonstrating their method and inspiring their readers. They guide entrepreneurs and innovators in companies of all scale—start-ups, research institutions, government agencies, and corporations—on how to execute with the aim of creating companies that can change the world.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published September 29, 2015
33 people are currently reading
238 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 30, 2016
A good starter manual on venturing but not enough unique insights
I found a couple quotes of interest in the book and the content is clearly presented. But the book had a few too many see spot run views of the world of building a business and making a venture successful. As a result I felt that it wasted time educating on basics when a more advanced and nuanced perspective with insights would be more useful. I measure these type of books by what new insights I learn and overall I didn't find enough for my tastes. It is possible that the audience would be more appropriate for a kid trying to figure out this venture stuff. If so then great. I am comparing thus to books like "the hard thing about hard things" which talk about the things often not clear or talked about and focusing on how to survive near failure vs. lauding great decisions and paint by numbers VC presentations.
I found a couple quotes of interest in the book and the content is clearly presented. But the book had a few too many see spot run views of the world of building a business and making a venture successful. As a result I felt that it wasted time educating on basics when a more advanced and nuanced perspective with insights would be more useful. I measure these type of books by what new insights I learn and overall I didn't find enough for my tastes. It is possible that the audience would be more appropriate for a kid trying to figure out this venture stuff. If so then great. I am comparing thus to books like "the hard thing about hard things" which talk about the things often not clear or talked about and focusing on how to survive near failure vs. lauding great decisions and paint by numbers VC presentations.
May 13, 2016
Книга рассказывает какие методы вам необходимо внедрить в компании, чтобы из стартапа получить шанс создать большой бизнес.
Авторы собрали самые ключевые практики. Мне понравилось наличие конкретных успешных и неуспешных примеров, что делает восприятие информации проще. Рекомендую всем предпринимателям.
Лучшая цитата, которая описывает путь создания большой компании - "Very big business aren't the result of tech breakthroughs - they are the result of all ingredients: great market opportunity, business plan, value proposition, team and leadership, capital, go-to-market, and more."
Авторы собрали самые ключевые практики. Мне понравилось наличие конкретных успешных и неуспешных примеров, что делает восприятие информации проще. Рекомендую всем предпринимателям.
Лучшая цитата, которая описывает путь создания большой компании - "Very big business aren't the result of tech breakthroughs - they are the result of all ingredients: great market opportunity, business plan, value proposition, team and leadership, capital, go-to-market, and more."
January 21, 2022
The fact that this comes from two proven 'venture capitalists' should be enough for any aspiring entrepreneur to pick this up. Henry Kressel and Norman Winarsky have funded many multi-billion ventures and in this book they try to detail the process and components of a successful venture.
You also get critical insights into how VC's think , evaluate risks and decide to fund a venture.( example : No competition is not necessarily good news for VCs).
The book is little ahead of time for me :-) I have no immediate intentions to approach a VC or be a VC ;-) But hey , who knows -- Now I know what to include in my pitch ;-)
However, I loved the outline and factors that the authors highlight ( with ample examples) for a successful venture.
The key takeaway for me is the last line of the book " ...aim high, use breakthrough technology or differentiated business solutions, and build lasting companies that will profoundly transform the way we work and live"
You also get critical insights into how VC's think , evaluate risks and decide to fund a venture.( example : No competition is not necessarily good news for VCs).
The book is little ahead of time for me :-) I have no immediate intentions to approach a VC or be a VC ;-) But hey , who knows -- Now I know what to include in my pitch ;-)
However, I loved the outline and factors that the authors highlight ( with ample examples) for a successful venture.
The key takeaway for me is the last line of the book " ...aim high, use breakthrough technology or differentiated business solutions, and build lasting companies that will profoundly transform the way we work and live"
November 22, 2015
A great book to read for those who a starting their ventures to change the world as they know it. The book's foundation is based on the personal experience of the two authors in establishing their business and on how they face the present challenges of many tech start ups.
While most examples are tech companies, the lessons about leadership, investors, role of board, etc. are relevant to any other ventures anyone may establish.
I therefore suggest that anyone who has in his/her mind of changing the world through organizing a business read this book and adapt the solutions provided in his/her own situations.
While most examples are tech companies, the lessons about leadership, investors, role of board, etc. are relevant to any other ventures anyone may establish.
I therefore suggest that anyone who has in his/her mind of changing the world through organizing a business read this book and adapt the solutions provided in his/her own situations.
July 9, 2016
Decent overview of startup and venture fundamentals. Found the Siri anecdotes to be the most interesting. Bit repetitive if you already work in the field, would def recommend as a refresh or beginners' resource.
Want to read
January 24, 2016Startups in Silicon Valley who fail fast.
April 29, 2017
If you ever want to make your own start-up, please do read this book before anything else.
Read
July 19, 2018A comparative look on the outside to grass roots view.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews