Why Startups Fail: And How Yours Can Succeed

Most startups fail. That’s why when Jeff Olson at Apress (publishers of Founders at Work) approached me about turning my Why Startups Fail blog post into a full-fledged book, it was too good an opportunity to pass up.

Why Startups Fail: And How Yours Can Succeed is now available in both eBook and paperback editions on Amazon and elsewhere.

By way of background, in May, 2008, I wrote a popular and controversial blog post, Why Startups Fail. Venture capitalist Brad Feld called it a great post. Jason Fried of 37 Signals disagreed with several of my points. Dave McClure and dozens of others provided insightful thoughts and comments.

Over the past 10+ years, I’ve founded five startups, bootstrapped and raised millions in venture capital, had several successful liquidity events, and been a VC. During that time, I’ve gained a unique perspective on what makes startups succeed—and the avoidable mistakes that make them fail.

I hope this book will provide you not only with excellent reading but also with key insights that will help make you, and your startup, a huge success.