Super Founders

April 1, 2021
A successful Silicon Valley venture capitalist offers a grand tour of the startups now worth billions. Tamaseb is an articulate and influential advocate for the complex world of startup culture, and his education, experience, and access all come into play here. Many books in this realm tend toward cautionary tales, but Tamaseb offers an intriguing combination of history, data, theory, economics, and thoughtful interviews with significant founders and investors, creating a narrative that is less tech history and more playbook for the power players that come after. The author focuses only on companies valued at more than $1 billion, which, despite what sensational media attention may suggest, are not common. "Billion-dollar startups--or 'unicorns, ' a term coined by venture capitalist Aileen Lee--are, as their name indicates, relatively rare. They make up less than 0.1 percent of startups." Featuring contributions from such boldface names as Eric Yuan, founder of Zoom, and investor Peter Thiel, the book is as organized and clear-cut as a textbook, but Tamaseb has a personable and generous writing style and the grace to step aside to highlight other voices. In the first third, the author engages in some necessary myth-busting about startups and their founders, using data to move the narrative beyond the stereotype of a couple of genius friends working 24/7 in their parents' garage. Next, Tamaseb examines the origin stories of well-known corporations like PayPal and Airbnb as well as companies that are less familiar publicly but no less successful. Later, the author pivots to business models, the timing of bringing a product to market, and how to deal with competition. Finally, he lands on the juicy issue of fundraising, mostly focusing on the nebulous world of venture capital and angel investing, which will be mind-expanding for budding entrepreneurs and largely irrelevant to general readers. A well-meaning and often stirring insider's look at startup success and lessons to be learned from their journeys.

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