If you are the founder of a high-tech startup company, you know it’s a daunting task, and the odds of success are slim. All founders dream of achieving a rewarding outcome like Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, but few reach such a pinnacle. In The Fundable Startup: How Disruptive Companies Attract Capital, Fred M. Haney, an experienced venture capitalist, angel investor, and company founder, explains startup strategies that will help you:Understand the thinking of investorsBuild a “virtual team”Create initial value in a product or prototypeRecruit management that will help you raise capitalThe Fundable Startup contains eight personal interviews with executives and entrepreneurs that will change the way founders think about managing a startup company.
If you are the founder of a high-tech startup company, you know it’s a daunting task, and the odds of success are slim. All founders dream of achieving a rewarding outcome like Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, but few reach such a pinnacle. In The Fundable Startup: How Disruptive Companies Attract Capital, Fred M. Haney, an experienced venture capitalist, angel investor, and company founder, explains startup strategies that will help you:Understand the thinking of investorsBuild a “virtual team”Create initial value in a product or prototypeRecruit management that will help you raise capitalThe Fundable Startup contains eight personal interviews with executives and entrepreneurs that will change the way founders think about managing a startup company.
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Overview
If you are the founder of a high-tech startup company, you know it’s a daunting task, and the odds of success are slim. All founders dream of achieving a rewarding outcome like Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, but few reach such a pinnacle. In The Fundable Startup: How Disruptive Companies Attract Capital, Fred M. Haney, an experienced venture capitalist, angel investor, and company founder, explains startup strategies that will help you:Understand the thinking of investorsBuild a “virtual team”Create initial value in a product or prototypeRecruit management that will help you raise capitalThe Fundable Startup contains eight personal interviews with executives and entrepreneurs that will change the way founders think about managing a startup company.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781590794937 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | SelectBooks |
| Publication date: | 05/11/2021 |
| Pages: | 288 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.60(d) |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Foreword ix
Preface xiii
1 Introduction 1
2 High-Tech Gold 17
3 Learning from the 99 Percent 23
4 Creating, Measuring, and Increasing Value 45
5 Startup Capital: Recent History 57
6 Venture Capital Think 71
7 The Fundable Idea 93
8 The Fundable Management Team 109
9 Where Do Experienced CEOs Come From? 139
10 Is There a CEO Fast Track? 163
11 Angel Think 177
12 The Solution: Be a Money Magnet 187
13 Follow the Leader 229
Notes 241
Index 247
About the Author 261
What People are Saying About This
The Fundable Startup is the perfect book for a first-time CEO of a startup. After personally working with Dr. Haney during the early stages of Par- cel Pending, I found him and The Fundable Startup to be invaluable. With so much unknown for a first-time CEO, The Fundable Startup demonstrates many of the critical issues and needs that every CEO must learn. Dr. Haney is the ideal author as he has such deep experience with startups and organizations at every level. The Fundable Startup is a must-read for all entrepreneurs and first time CEOs.
The Fundable Startup is much more than a conventional book about venture capital and entrepreneurial vigor. It speaks in practical terms—no jargon, no clichés—about raising capital and attracting the skills needed to build a business and finding a manager to run a growing concern. The book asks the right questions on many fronts, such as: How would you forecast revenues and expenses—because if you get that one wrong, where is the profit? How would you judge a technology transfer from university research to pluck out a product that will benefit users and find customers? Why might executives from large companies not be the ideal choice to run small companies? Importantly, this book speaks to the job of choosing a manager, a different discipline from entrepreneurship. Management is a process of long-term learning that enables people and organizations to grow into successful institutions. The Fundable Startup brushes aside clichés, such as ‘I invest in people . . .’ Instead . . . One invests in ideas and people. Entrepreneurial companies are exciting, but keep in mind that ‘activity is not achievement.’ Author Fred Haney has founded high-tech companies, and helped a score more such companies as director. He has managed divisions of large companies, founded venture capital networks, and managed successful investment in eighty startup companies.
Every entrepreneur can benefit from the thoughtful advice in The Fundable Startup. The book offers a proven framework for evaluating product ideas, attracting management talent, and raising capital for a new venture. The anecdotal stories are entertaining and show firsthand how others have successfully built their businesses around the fundamental principles in Dr. Haney’s book. The Fundable Startup is a must-read for company founders!
Ronald Reagan’s ‘Trust by verify’ quote has always resonated with me. Meaning we hear, see, and read a tremendous amount of data and opinions, but which are backed up with proven content? Many books have been writ- ten about how to fund your startup, mostly by individuals who have been successful in at least one funding. But therein lies the challenge!
Funding a startup is not linear or singular. It is a very complex game with multiple players with different goals, on different playing fields, all trying to score at the same time. For that reason and my ‘Trust by verify’ mentality I found Fred Haney’s new book The Fundable Startup to be extraordinary. Fred provides data, examples, and amazing analogies that support his sage advice to startup CEOs.
The Fundable Startup provides startup founders and CEOs with options— creative and proven successful options. In fact, I have never read a funding manual/textbook that comes anywhere close to providing the number of real- world tactical approaches to raising funds as The Fundable Startup.
In The Fundable Startup , Dr. Haney provides practical insights in deceptively simply language to the key questions on every entrepreneur’s mind. The developing executive will appreciate Fred’s triangulation of success factors through both case studies and summarized lessons drawn from his unique depth of experience.
Few entrepreneurs building high potential companies know how to make their startups appealing to investors. Drawing on his experience on both sides of the table, Fred Haney has produced a masterful guide to creating fundable startups. If you want to improve your odds of raising money, read this book before you launch an equity crowdfunding campaign or talk to angel investors or venture capitalists.
The Fundable Startup is a book that needed to be written and should be read by anyone contemplating a startup venture or hoping to advise entrepreneurial activities. It addresses in easy-to-read fashion the now obsolete concept that a novel idea alone is worth a $1 million plus venture funding valuation. Notwithstanding the opinion of many that founders are the best leaders of emerging companies, my experience has been that the predominant reason for the failure of a startup is an inexperienced leader who doesn’t know what he or she doesn’t know. This book provides the criteria for a founder to deter- mine whether he or she is the appropriate person to lead the company and a roadmap to successfully attracting investment capital.
I’ve had the opportunity to work with Dr. Haney from time to time, both for the same and opposing parties, and am always impressed with his understanding of the issues and his professional approach to solutions. In The Fundable Startup , Dr. Haney not only demonstrates the educational and professional background to write a tutorial on startup ventures, he has provided a wealth of background information for the aspiring founder.”
I started my first two ventures while I was an undergraduate at Caltech. They failed. Only after a career that included chapters as a research scientist and engineer; corporate executive; turn-around specialist; CEO, chairman, and director of a number of public and closely-held companies; university professor; and consultant to companies and government agencies around the globe, did I have the knowledge and experience to become a successful serial entrepreneur.
Most would-be entrepreneurs, lacking depth of experience, fail in their first ventures, while developing a history that makes it extraordinarily challenging to secure the funds necessary to make another try.
Fred Haney has consolidated in his book, The Fundable Startup , a body of learning to arm entrepreneurs with the knowledge necessary to anticipate and address problems and capitalize on opportunities. Well dog-eared copies should be on the desks of every would-be entrepreneur and their team members and advisers.
The most frequently asked question of an educator of entrepreneurship is ‘Are entrepreneurs born or made?’ Some hold strongly to the former, yet over the past fifteen years, I have learned that a successful entrepreneur must build a mind-set, skill set, and tool set. The Fundable Startup is an outstanding road map to build all three sets.
I wish Fred’s book The Fundable Startup had been available during the two startups in which I was involved. Not only does Fred give the aspiring entrepreneur a roadmap to successfully fund her venture, he provides needed context and relevant information on the different types of funding sources— how they think and what they are looking for when reviewing and analyzing opportunities. Reading this book is like having someone alongside you who has ‘been there and done that’ and mentors you along the way. You’ll learn the pitfalls to avoid, the pros and cons of different growth and funding strategies, and what investors value most in making their decisions. It’s truly a must-read for the entrepreneur seeking outside funding.
The Fundable Startup is a bible of information; a must-read for entrepreneurs! It lights the road for successful venturing activity.
The Fundable Startup is a well-written book and provides insight for those with the entrepreneurial spirit to move onward and upwards with their dreams and passions. The author is essentially a ‘harbor pilot’ to help people navigate successfully through the pitfalls of starting and managing a disruptive company that can attract capital. For high-tech startups, passion and commitment are necessary ingredients for the founders. However, get- ting funding/cash for a high-tech startup depends on the founder being able to find a capable fundable management team with an experienced CEO who knows how to attract cash. As stated at the end of Chapter 3, ‘Learning from the 99%,’ sound, capable leadership is the key to success.
The thirteen chapters end with the last chapter entitled ‘Follow the Leader.’ The last sentence of this final chapter ends fabulously with a quote from the famous football player, coach, and executive Vince Lombardi: ‘Contrary to the opinions of many, leaders are not born; they are made. And they are made by hard effort, which is the price that we must all pay for success’ from his book What It Takes to Be #1.
For many years at the monthly Monday Club meetings in Orange County, CA, which he chairs, Fred Haney has provided thoughtful questions for each presenter of a startup company. His perception of what is required for these companies is more than intuitive and is due to his vast knowledge of what a startup company requires in order to move forward. After forty years of experience, Fred Haney writes clearly and logically about entrepreneurship and leadership. The book is easy to read, logical, and it has great insight for business school students, founders, and inexperienced CEOs.”
“I have learned to use the word impossible with the greatest caution." (—Wernher von Braun, rocket engineer, father of rocket technology and space science in the United States, NASA engineering program manager, chief architect of the Saturn V launch vehicle that propelled the Apollo manned lunar missions to the moon.)
Fred Haney’s book, The Fundable Startup , is filled with practical information on starting a company and positioning it for funding. I wish it had been around when I formed my first company. While Fred’s mechanical advice is flawless, my favorite chapter was ‘The Solution: Be a Money Mag- net.’ Once you have a reputation for growing a successful company you find the VCs call you. Fred helps the first-time entrepreneur understand how to get to that place where the law of attraction has a chance to work. That’s valuable!
The Fundable Startup is a MUST-read for entrepreneurs seeking funding. It makes a confusing process seem simple and straightforward.
Fred Haney has distilled fundraising for startups to a very understandable sequence of logical events that can greatly improve a company’s chances of raising capital.
Fred’s unique perspective garnered from having been a corporate planner, venture capital manager, angel investor, and cofounder provides enormous insight.
This book could easily be named ‘The Truth About Startups’ or ‘Startup Tales of Truth.’ Every entrepreneur should read it to save heartaches and get a clear picture of what works!
Concepts of value, capital, talent and execution are inextricably woven together in realistic examples and case studies. Fred connects to the reality of the process helping entrepreneurs set realistic expectations for the funding of their dreams.
Fred Haney’s decades of experience as an entrepreneur and investor trans- late to invaluable and practical guidance to those seeking capital to start and scale dynamic ventures. Business is about improving the odds, and The Fundable Startup does that.
As chairman and initial investor in Media Matchmaker, a disruptive media ad technology company, Fred Haney taught us the ABC’s of successful entrepreneurship. The Fundable Startup breaks down his basic philosophies and techniques into short, easily understandable chapters. A must-read for anyone considering diving into the real ‘Shark Tank.’
In The Fundable Startup , Dr. Fred Haney provides a realistic and multifaceted view into the skill sets and resources required to build a successful tech startup. Highly experienced on both sides of the table—as both a startup CEO and an investor—Dr. Haney is uniquely qualified to advise the next generation of tech entrepreneurs as they embark on their journey. Insightful and inspiring, The Fundable Startup provides invaluable guidance on how to build your entrepreneurial leadership team and attract the resources that will make your startup a success.
As chairman and initial investor in Media Matchmaker, a disruptive media ad technology company, Fred Haney taught us the ABC’s of successful entrepreneurship. The Fundable Startup breaks down his basic philosophies and techniques into short, easily understandable chapters. A must-read for anyone considering diving into the real ‘Shark Tank.’
Innovators vs. Accelerators—Founders and Seasoned CEOs. Fred delivers excellent advice and actionable steps every executive can leverage daily to attract capital and be a money magnet CEO. Our company LiveSafe greatly benefited in our early days from Fred’s experience and this book shares his wisdom on attracting investors and talent for your startup.
Fred Haney has provided an inspired road map for startup companies to build extraordinary value for their ultimate acquisition or IPO.
Having served for 44 years as the chairman of Cappello Global LLC, a global boutique investment bank whose principals have transacted over $100 billion in business spanning 55 countries, and having served as a director of dozens of public and private companies, I have first-hand knowledge of thousands of businesses, and I am very aware of how value is created, measured, and monetized.
Fred’s focus on value-creating milestones and building strong management teams is key to a successful startup as well as any growing business.
Fred is living proof of one of his fundamental premises: that experience matters. Having personally served with Fred on the board of directors of Caldera Medical Inc. for over five years and experienced Fred’s laser focus on the creation of value and strong teams, he is the real deal! His leadership and sage wisdom has had a profound impact on the company.
When almost any issue arises, Fred has dealt with a similar situation in the past. He is living proof that experience does in fact matter. His knowl- edge is almost encyclopedic, practical, and well-articulated.
Many of Fred’s messages apply to more mature companies as well as startups. Most of the companies we work with are well beyond the startup stage but they would do well to follow Fred’s advice. For example, many mature companies should increase their focus on creating value and making sure they have the right team of people in place.
Everyone—both the experienced and the inexperienced—will enjoy and benefit from reading The Fundable Startup.
In The Fundable Startup, Dr. Haney provides practical insights in deceptively simply language to the key questions on every entrepreneur’s mind. The developing executive will appreciate Fred’s triangulation of success factors through both case studies and summarized lessons drawn from his unique depth of experience.
Ronald Reagan’s ‘Trust by verify’ quote has always resonated with me. Meaning we hear, see, and read a tremendous amount of data and opinions, but which are backed up with proven content? Many books have been writ- ten about how to fund your startup, mostly by individuals who have been successful in at least one funding. But therein lies the challenge!
Funding a startup is not linear or singular. It is a very complex game with multiple players with different goals, on different playing fields, all trying to score at the same time. For that reason and my ‘Trust by verify’ mentality I found Fred Haney’s new book The Fundable Startup to be extraordinary. Fred provides data, examples, and amazing analogies that support his sage advice to startup CEOs.
The Fundable Startup provides startup founders and CEOs with options— creative and proven successful options. In fact, I have never read a funding manual/textbook that comes anywhere close to providing the number of real- world tactical approaches to raising funds as The Fundable Startup.
Every entrepreneur can benefit from the thoughtful advice in The Fundable Startup. The book offers a proven framework for evaluating product ideas, attracting management talent, and raising capital for a new venture. The anecdotal stories are entertaining and show firsthand how others have successfully built their businesses around the fundamental principles in Dr. Haney’s book. The Fundable Startup is a must-read for company founders!
The most frequently asked question of an educator of entrepreneurship is ‘Are entrepreneurs born or made?’ Some hold strongly to the former, yet over the past fifteen years, I have learned that a successful entrepreneur must build a mind-set, skill set, and tool set. The Fundable Startup is an outstanding road map to build all three sets.
Fred Haney’s experience as an executive, global venture capitalist, and angel investor provides invaluable insights as to how companies attract capital. This is a must-read for all entrepreneurs positioning their idea and company for success! The Fundable Startup answers the chicken and the egg questions that startups face: ‘how to attract both capital and top executive talent.’ I highly recommend it to all founders.
Fred Haney has provided an inspired road map for startup companies to build extraordinary value for their ultimate acquisition or IPO.
Having served for 44 years as the chairman of Cappello Global LLC, a global boutique investment bank whose principals have transacted over $100 billion in business spanning 55 countries, and having served as a director of dozens of public and private companies, I have first-hand knowledge of thousands of businesses, and I am very aware of how value is created, measured, and monetized.
Fred’s focus on value-creating milestones and building strong management teams is key to a successful startup as well as any growing business.
Fred is living proof of one of his fundamental premises: that experience matters. Having personally served with Fred on the board of directors of Caldera Medical Inc. for over five years and experienced Fred’s laser focus on the creation of value and strong teams, he is the real deal! His leadership and sage wisdom has had a profound impact on the company.
When almost any issue arises, Fred has dealt with a similar situation in the past. He is living proof that experience does in fact matter. His knowl- edge is almost encyclopedic, practical, and well-articulated.
Many of Fred’s messages apply to more mature companies as well as startups. Most of the companies we work with are well beyond the startup stage but they would do well to follow Fred’s advice. For example, many mature companies should increase their focus on creating value and making sure they have the right team of people in place.
Everyone—both the experienced and the inexperienced—will enjoy and benefit from reading The Fundable Startup.
Innovators vs. Accelerators—Founders and Seasoned CEOs. Fred delivers excellent advice and actionable steps every executive can leverage daily to attract capital and be a money magnet CEO. Our company LiveSafe greatly benefited in our early days from Fred’s experience and this book shares his wisdom on attracting investors and talent for your startup.