Unveiling the High-Stakes World of Start-up Financing: Ruthann Quindlen's Confessions of a Venture Capitalist

Richard Simmons: What's it like working with companies like AOL and Microsoft, just to name a few? Read all about the author's approach and experiences in the high risk business of venture capital.

United States on Feb 10, 2014

yoshi: ...

Japan on Apr 22, 2009

Chen Sun: This book is lively written--fun filled, and most important, fast reading. It is more targeted for someone with less startup or startup finance experience. Even for those with good startup experience, because it is fast reading, there are many refresher lessons and new tips.

Though some of this is outdated for a post [...] boom period, many of its explanations remain valid. If this is the first time you're seeking venture capital, this is an easy and good book to read.

United States on Feb 15, 2009

Michael Davis: Recently I read that, according to a report by Staples *, the "Percentage of American adults who say they have an idea for a new product or innovation: 42." (* Office Solutions, March/ April 2004, p. 10)

Going on the report stated that the "Top reasons for not getting an idea to the drawing board: not enough money (75 percent), not knowing where to start, ..."

If you're in that 75%, then reading Confessions of a Venture Capitalist will be an enlightening experience.

Ruthann Quindlen, a one-time investment banker now with Silicon Valley's Institutional Venture Partners, lays it on the line in this revealing glimpse inside the mind of a Venture Capitalist.

The book is divided into 11 sections, comprising 36 short and entertaining chapters.

Section 1: Life in the Bubble

A short history on life in Silicon Valley.

Section 2: People

"People Are to a Business What Location Is to a Restaurant" (need I say more)

Section 3: Markets

"Find Markets the Size of Texas"

Section 4: Business Models

"Faster, Better, Cheaper" versus "Brave New World"

Business models function as a blueprint on how the company...

United States on May 02, 2005

ヒデカズ: 私は日本企業から派遣され、実際の米国ベンチャー・キャピタルで働いているが、元々エンジニア出身であり、ＶＣの実務について基本を学ぶために本書を読んだ。
ベンチャー企業を起業し成功に導くためには多くの知識･経験･体力（精神力）・資金が必要であるが、米国においてもそれをきちんと理解している創業者は必ずしも多くない。本書は、多くのベンチャーの成長を実際に助けた経験をもつ、本物のベンチャーキャピタリストが、ベンチャー企業の未来の創業者に送る指南書であろう。
なお、本書はエッセイ風の文体であり、日本語訳も優れているので非常に読みやすかった。ベンチャー企業の創業、ベンチャー・キャピタル・ビジネスを学ぶ上で、まず第一に手に取るべき本だと思う。

Japan on Nov 13, 2002

Student of the Trade: Its surprising that the author of this book is a venture capitalist. The information in the book is very bland. Even as a primer I would hesitate to recommend it. A much better book would be e-Boys. The author seems to get lost in her personal bewilderment as to why women do not pursue top executive jobs in the corporate world. Her notion of pursuing market share regardless of profitability is misleading.
The only time this books sparks some interest is when she talks about microsoft.Apparently, before becoming a venture capitalist the author was a software analyst and had a number of candid interactions with Bill Gates. The author has very interesting insights in the software business. However, in the venture capitalist world she fails to shade any light with this book.
If you really want the true cofessions of a venture capitalist get e-Boys.

United States on Jul 17, 2002

Donald Mitchell: The families of entrepreneurs should require those who are about to start or join a start-up to read this book.
Ruthann Quindlen writes a "lessons I learned on the way to the poor house" story about what to do correctly with start-ups by showing what can and does usually go wrong. Her perspective is from first hand experience in doing early-stage investing in Internet companies for the firm Institutional Venture Partners (IVP) in Menlo Park, California. You will find that her perspective is unusually encompassing: the pros and cons of the hot-house start-up environment of Silicon Valley; the role of excellent people and teams; the importance of large markets; having business models that allow for prosperity; how venture capitalists work; the role of the successful entrepreneur; the difference between a brilliant and a merely bizarre idea; the dumbest decision she ever made (to pass on investing in OnSale); negotiating with venture capitalists and bankers about valuation; the perspectives of other people she respects on these subjects; and on the Internet as an analogy to the Dutch tulip mania (she thinks the Internet is for real). She has a disaster story to underscore every...

United States on Aug 16, 2000