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Do More Faster: Techstars Lessons to Accelerate Your Startup
Practical advice from some of today's top early stage investors and entrepreneurs TechStars is a mentorship-driven startup accelerator with operations in three U.S. cities. Once a year in each city, it funds about ten Internet startups with a small amount of capital and surrounds them with around fifty top Internet entrepreneurs and investors. Historically, about seventy-five percent of the companies that go through TechStars raise a meaningful amount of angel or venture capital. Do More TechStars Lessons to Accelerate Your Startup is a collection of advice that comes from individuals who have passed through, or are part of, this proven program. Each vignette is an exploration of information often heard during the TechStars program and provides practical insights into early stage entrepreneurship. While you'll ultimately have to make your own decisions about what's right for your business, Do More TechStars Lessons to Accelerate Your Startup can get your entrepreneurial endeavor headed in the right direction.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2010
144 people are currently reading
6524 people want to read
About the author
Brad Feld
33 books2,492 followersBrad Feld has been an early-stage entrepreneur and investor since 1987. He co-founded two venture capital firms, Foundry Group and Mobius Venture Capital, as well as multiple companies, including Techstars. Brad is a writer and speaker on venture capital investing and entrepreneurship and has written several popular books, including Venture Deals and Startup Communities. He runs the Anchor Point Foundation with his wife, Amy Batchelor.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
December 11, 2010
What a shallow and disappointingly book. This is the kind of lazy book that I avoided when I was an editor, but thanks to self-publishing and self-promotion it has been inflicted upon all of us. It disappoints in so many ways: construction, content, and motivation. Let's deal with them in order, shall we?
Construction: it's a series of short blog-length posts by the various mentors and entrepreneurs associated with the annual TechStars incubator. The chapters are clustered by loose topic (funding, work/life balance, etc.). The book-of-a-hundred-authors is the easiest way to assemble a book but, unless the editor works hard, you end up with a hodgepodge of styles, voices, and approaches with no coordination. And, indeed, this is exactly what the TechStars book is: you get the same advice repeated by different people, gaps where nobody thought to say something useful, and incongruous random incoherence from authors whom the editors failed to guide, shape, or even edit.
Content: if you wanted a collection of startup cliches, you could do worse than to start here. There's little you'll find worthy of underlining much less repeating, and it never once acknowledges any kind of accessibility bias, or even the relevance of asking successful people what they did vs unsuccessful people what bit them.
Motivation: it is depressingly clear that this book is intended primarily to promote the TechStars program and only incidentally to educate.
I have a lot of respect for Brad Feld and his investment work, but this book was just a let-down.
Construction: it's a series of short blog-length posts by the various mentors and entrepreneurs associated with the annual TechStars incubator. The chapters are clustered by loose topic (funding, work/life balance, etc.). The book-of-a-hundred-authors is the easiest way to assemble a book but, unless the editor works hard, you end up with a hodgepodge of styles, voices, and approaches with no coordination. And, indeed, this is exactly what the TechStars book is: you get the same advice repeated by different people, gaps where nobody thought to say something useful, and incongruous random incoherence from authors whom the editors failed to guide, shape, or even edit.
Content: if you wanted a collection of startup cliches, you could do worse than to start here. There's little you'll find worthy of underlining much less repeating, and it never once acknowledges any kind of accessibility bias, or even the relevance of asking successful people what they did vs unsuccessful people what bit them.
Motivation: it is depressingly clear that this book is intended primarily to promote the TechStars program and only incidentally to educate.
I have a lot of respect for Brad Feld and his investment work, but this book was just a let-down.
January 5, 2011
This book is mostly a commercial for TechStars. There are a few good takeaways and stories but generally it was slow going and fairly repetitive. Not much depth and a machine gun approach to business story telling with every 2 pages being written by a different TechStar mentor, founder, attendee, or some other such.
May 9, 2020
It's actually good for all the wrong reasons as it serves as an insight into madness that is tech startup world. Found it chaotic and repulsive at times. The pushing of plastic "be positive or else" mentality that drives these teams is almost sickening. Some mumbo jumbo how karma ties all tech mentors and the usual "follow your passion" bull**** that leads into spiraling insanity as you overwork yourself to the verge of death.
I'm all warmed up for hard work, integrity and good solid goal setting but this is actually too fast. He practically suggests how to pitch half-assed products and polish later. I know you have to be fast but it's one of the many reasons of why it's so hard to find really good value for your money today.
I really liked chapter 40, "Don't suck at email". A really practical guide to effective e-mailing and maintaining a clean inbox (inbox zero). Basically a rehashed GTD system but nevertheless. Look it up.
Young "techpreneurs" might find this one inspirational but for older more experienced workforce it's just a sad account of silicon valley in a nutshell.
Light 3/5
I'm all warmed up for hard work, integrity and good solid goal setting but this is actually too fast. He practically suggests how to pitch half-assed products and polish later. I know you have to be fast but it's one of the many reasons of why it's so hard to find really good value for your money today.
I really liked chapter 40, "Don't suck at email". A really practical guide to effective e-mailing and maintaining a clean inbox (inbox zero). Basically a rehashed GTD system but nevertheless. Look it up.
Young "techpreneurs" might find this one inspirational but for older more experienced workforce it's just a sad account of silicon valley in a nutshell.
Light 3/5
September 11, 2018
This is not a book, it is a blog articles. It is well organized yet not a complete story. It is like any blog, some information are new, some are old other are useless. If you are new to entrepreneurship, read it. if you have been more than a year then it is 50% useless for you.
January 13, 2011
There are some real nuggets in here with advice if you're planning on launching a startup. Some counter intuitive things like going out and sharing your startup idea, some traps you can fall into like feature bloat, and great advice like iterating fast and often. I give this book 4 stars!
February 24, 2019
Many of these folks have no right to give advice, in the book. Their strongest achievement was raising a (small) seed round. Even those who've exited, mostly had small acquisitions. I would not view most of this book as a credible source.
Read
May 3, 2022They have the next big thing, but they can’t risk telling me (or anyone else) about it until I sign some form of idea insurance, usually a nondisclosure agreement (NDA).
entrepreneurs who behave this way clearly overvalue ideas and, therefore, almost by definition, undervalue execution.
One can steal ideas, but no one can steal execution
here is no market for ideas. Think about it for a second: Have you tried selling an idea lately? Where would you go to sell it? Who would buy it? When there is no market, it is usually a very sure sign that there is no value.
entrepreneurs who behave this way clearly overvalue ideas and, therefore, almost by definition, undervalue execution.
One can steal ideas, but no one can steal execution
here is no market for ideas. Think about it for a second: Have you tried selling an idea lately? Where would you go to sell it? Who would buy it? When there is no market, it is usually a very sure sign that there is no value.
January 25, 2020
Great hybrid of business management for start ups story-told by tech stars backed founders. As highly interested in start-up histories, this has been a nice way of covering once again this mainstream concepts by the experience of other entrepreneurs. Short stories of experienced entrepreneurs embedded to the topic. I liked the simplicity of the language: no excess jargon and straight to the point.
October 14, 2020
I wish I had read this book before I started a business. Because of the type of business they have at TechStars, the lessons in the book are derived from - and best applied to - tech companies that desire rapid growth. But the majority of the lessons still apply to all businesses and I found my head nodding at the mention of many of the mistakes made and lessons learned. They sounded very familiar.
August 28, 2022
A great resource for new founders! The book provides actionable wisdom on what you should think of before or while starting a new venture. Loved the stories and learnings shared by more experienced founders. Will definitely get back to specific chapters for a deeper dive while putting them into practice.
Sometimes it feels like too much self-advertising for Techstars, but given the useful insights provided, one wouldn't stick to this point.
Sometimes it feels like too much self-advertising for Techstars, but given the useful insights provided, one wouldn't stick to this point.
June 23, 2019
Great content if you're new to the startup world, but probably not as much here if you've already read a lot of the thinking in the space.
The book is a series of short essays organized around a number of startup themes. I found some good nuggets, but I imagine it felt fresher when it was released in 2010.
The book is a series of short essays organized around a number of startup themes. I found some good nuggets, but I imagine it felt fresher when it was released in 2010.
October 4, 2023
I have humble knowledge of the start-up world and hence found much of the information new and insightful. However, some concepts are repeated. My main problem is that I found the title misleading: I thought “Do More Faster” had more to do with efficiency and procrastination in daily routines as individuals and did not expect it to be anywhere near the start-up industry.
June 19, 2017
Full of great advice
July 3, 2017
Excellent text for those in the tech sector
November 9, 2017
This is another book that startup should read. It is all about how to make startup successful.
October 26, 2018
A must read before you startup.
December 29, 2018
Brad Feld gave me a copy of this book after we had dinner one night. it's a decent collection of stories from entrepreneurs in the early 2000's
February 15, 2019
Very specific to tech start-ups. Very good resource if you’re in that situation and I’ll read again when I find myself there
February 6, 2020
Impressive advice to startups, founders, investors, mentors. If it doesn’t give you a full response sometimes, it for sure put you in the right direction
March 15, 2020
Are you kidding me? This book looks like crap, possibility of 90%. Full of personal stories and interview within the company. Content implies nothing new and many wrong advices.
April 18, 2020
Starting a business?
Get a mentor and be a mentor.
Believe in yourself, but still listen to those you respect.
Have grit, but know when to pivot / change course.
Learn from others.
Work hard.
Get a mentor and be a mentor.
Believe in yourself, but still listen to those you respect.
Have grit, but know when to pivot / change course.
Learn from others.
Work hard.
May 30, 2020
Some nice insights, bit more of a book that you should pick up every now and again as opposed to a cover to cover read.
September 6, 2022
Best advice to Start-ups
May 12, 2024
Interesting book, despite there are better in the market for early stage entrepreneurs.
April 8, 2025
Book written in startup fashion. Learning by doing on fast paced path to glory.
March 23, 2017
Great dive into several short lessons that will help any beginner entrepreneur.
November 16, 2011
It is a great book - one which summarizes a lot of what other books designed for people doing startups have. It repackages (in a fairly conscience way) books, like,
The 4 hour work week
ReWork
UnMarketing
and many others in the same "genre" That being said its a great book to read if you are either in a Startup, or something in the tech-related field.
The most valuable information that I found in this book was written by Brad Feld who talks in depth about how you can and should set up your company structure. He explains extremely clearly why an LLC is NOT a good option if there are 2 or more founders and explains how setting up a C-Corp or S-Corp can be very cost effective and save a lot of hassle down the road.
If you haven´t yet hired an attorney but are making money as a company READ THIS BOOK ASAP!!! Especially the last 2 or 3 chapters where they specifically talk about equity, financing, investors and more.
I give it 4 stars because it largely repackages what I have read in other startup books, but the parts written by Brad Feld on both Taxes as well as "Work and life Balance" are among the best chapters of any books on the subject that I am yet to read! Great job!
The 4 hour work week
ReWork
UnMarketing
and many others in the same "genre" That being said its a great book to read if you are either in a Startup, or something in the tech-related field.
The most valuable information that I found in this book was written by Brad Feld who talks in depth about how you can and should set up your company structure. He explains extremely clearly why an LLC is NOT a good option if there are 2 or more founders and explains how setting up a C-Corp or S-Corp can be very cost effective and save a lot of hassle down the road.
If you haven´t yet hired an attorney but are making money as a company READ THIS BOOK ASAP!!! Especially the last 2 or 3 chapters where they specifically talk about equity, financing, investors and more.
I give it 4 stars because it largely repackages what I have read in other startup books, but the parts written by Brad Feld on both Taxes as well as "Work and life Balance" are among the best chapters of any books on the subject that I am yet to read! Great job!
August 27, 2011
Speed is of the essence - but the clear notion of operating in a continuous feedback loop with the market, adapting and changing to solve someones problems - or offer a unique solution that resonates to make someones daily life better ... lots of great lessons.
Written from multiple perspectives in an easy to consume style - short bite sized learning. Made it very painless to get through it - one of the, of course, always on challenges when having a full business life as one tries to look forward and continue education.
Great, in particular, for the world of software where changes are code & time ... when constructing physical plants and manufacturing facilities many of the lessons still definitely apply - but perhaps some of the time frames change to meet reality of what is being built.
TechStars is a glorious process and the insight into its operation is as fun to learn and see as the suggestions, ways to operate, things to consider that are the meat of the messages.
One of my favorite pieces "The Plural of Anecdote is Not Data" (Full disclosure, Brad is a long time friend, but I still like that one a lot)
Written from multiple perspectives in an easy to consume style - short bite sized learning. Made it very painless to get through it - one of the, of course, always on challenges when having a full business life as one tries to look forward and continue education.
Great, in particular, for the world of software where changes are code & time ... when constructing physical plants and manufacturing facilities many of the lessons still definitely apply - but perhaps some of the time frames change to meet reality of what is being built.
TechStars is a glorious process and the insight into its operation is as fun to learn and see as the suggestions, ways to operate, things to consider that are the meat of the messages.
One of my favorite pieces "The Plural of Anecdote is Not Data" (Full disclosure, Brad is a long time friend, but I still like that one a lot)
September 28, 2012
I really wanted to love this book - I'm an avid reader of Brad's blog and have heard him speak online and in person. Brad is a truly incredible individual that has and continues to accomplish a lot for technology, entrepreneurs, public policy, and the economic development of Boulder.
That said, this book was not really written by Brad. Each "chapter" is a collection of 1-3 page essays by different people associated with TechStars, either as participants or mentors. Most of the advice was pretty cliche and a number of the commentary points were unabashed commercials for the TechStars program. I understand it's a valid example to draw on, but the tone veered to far in the direction of extolling and singing the praises.
The only reason I'm giving this 3 stars instad of 2 is because of Brad's essay on work-life balance. If you can read just that essay and skip the whole rest of the book, you haven't missed much ...
That said, this book was not really written by Brad. Each "chapter" is a collection of 1-3 page essays by different people associated with TechStars, either as participants or mentors. Most of the advice was pretty cliche and a number of the commentary points were unabashed commercials for the TechStars program. I understand it's a valid example to draw on, but the tone veered to far in the direction of extolling and singing the praises.
The only reason I'm giving this 3 stars instad of 2 is because of Brad's essay on work-life balance. If you can read just that essay and skip the whole rest of the book, you haven't missed much ...
July 23, 2014
This book is a nice read. It's not really organized or ground-shaking, and I kept getting the feeling that I was reading an ad for TechStars rather than an instruction about entrepreneurial efficiency. Unfortunately, I had to return the book to my brother before I could finish it. It's good vacation reading, and had some good reminders in it.
I absolutely loved the realism of it. It's all real stories of real people. I guess I was expecting something more abstract. Because it was about reality, though, it had a lot of stories about "Here's where we went wrong. Really wrong. And here's what we learned from it". Those stories are always refreshing and inspiring to me. It helps to alleviate intimidation from the entrepreneurial scene. It's impossible to be an entrepreneur if you can't live with and admit making mistakes.
There were some really great quotes from the book, I wish I'd written down more of them.
I absolutely loved the realism of it. It's all real stories of real people. I guess I was expecting something more abstract. Because it was about reality, though, it had a lot of stories about "Here's where we went wrong. Really wrong. And here's what we learned from it". Those stories are always refreshing and inspiring to me. It helps to alleviate intimidation from the entrepreneurial scene. It's impossible to be an entrepreneur if you can't live with and admit making mistakes.
There were some really great quotes from the book, I wish I'd written down more of them.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews