High Tech Startup was written by John Nesheim to help creative people be more successful in the process of converting a good idea into a financable business. The book focuses on high technology startups, typically venture backed. The lessons presented also apply to creating new enterprises within existing corporations.
High Tech Startup has become a "classic". It is popular in Silicon Valley. Universities use it as a textbook. The book has been purchased in major high tech centers around the world. Governments have used it to recommend economic policies. Consulting firms use it in their practices. Over 3,000 new enterprises have used it.
High Tech Startup is a practical book with lots of tips and how-to's. It contains case studies of real Silicon Valley startups, both successes and failures, and includes analysis of difficult situations which startups encounter along the way. Hard-to-find stock tables show how much founders and investors actually got in real companies. Chapters explain the required stages in the startup process from idea to the initial public offering.
Tips and explanations highlight how to create a winning business plan, chapter by chapter.
You will learn how founders value their company and how they calculate prices for each round of venture capital funding. Specific tables explain how venture capitalists and investment bankers make their money and why understanding what motivates them makes you a better negotiator. The book also discusses alternative funding sources.
Specific chapters review how to select a good lawyer, accounting firm and startup coach. You will learn how a core team can avoid legal problems when leaving their employers and how to protect intellectual property.
The book describes what venture capitalists look for in a startup and what they expect of the core founding team. It also explains how boards of directors work for high tech startups and how the leadership must deal with investors, accountants, attorneys, and Wall Street, before and after the IPO.
John Nesheim (jnesheim@aol.com) is a veteran of Silicon Valley where he has lived since 1976. He earned his engineering degree at the University of Minnesota and MBA at Cornell University - Johnson Graduate School of Management. His career includes McKinsey & Company, National Semiconductor and Valid Logic. John has testified to Congress on behalf of the Semiconductor Industry Association and the American Electronics Association. He is a frequent speaker, lecturer and writer. Since 1981, John has devoted his time to coaching and advising engineers with their new enterprises. His emphasis has been on finding methods and techniques that can make a new enterprise succeed by competing more strategically.
