The Tech Entrepreneur's Survival Guide: How to Bootstrap Your Startup, Lead Through Tough Times, and Cash In for Success: How to Bootstrap Your ...

The Tech Entrepreneur's Survival Guide: How to Bootstrap Your Startup, Lead Through Tough Times, and Cash In for Success: How to Bootstrap Your ...

Most technology startups never make it to the fundingstage, and only a small percentage of those that are venture-backed generate a positive return for their investors. An even smaller number of startupfounders enjoy a truly prosperous exit. Bernd Schoner cofounded his tech startup during the dot-com bust, navigated it through market crises and internal turmoil, brought it through the global financial meltdown intact, and eventually sold it to a multibillion-dollar, multinational public technology company. In The Tech Entrepreneur's Survival Guide , Berndshares what he learned and what he wished he knew at the time. He explains the major phases in a technologycompany's life cycle, helping entrepreneurs avoid common pitfalls and survive crises when they strike. He guides readers from the initial bootstrapping process through venture-capital financing and provides valuable advice on how to sell a technology company profitably--even in a challenging economic environment. Every chapter presents solutions to realworld issues that could otherwise have fatal consequences for a tech venture. Aspiring tech entrepreneurs will learn to: Set up shop: build the team, assemble necessary startup assets (including technology and intellectual property), get legal and financial affairs in order - Secure capital: ask for money, nail the term sheet, ask for more money - Get out: know when to sell, who to sell to, and how to make it a happy exit for all stakeholders, includingthe employees Written with deep insight, refreshing candor, and a dash of humor, this comprehensive guide to the often harsh realities of startup life is indispensable for entrepreneurs at any stage. PRAISE FOR THE TECH ENTREPRENEUR'S SURVIVAL GUIDE : "A genuine narrative from the field, with battle scars and self-reflection. Reading this book will help you avoid many pitfalls." -- Nicholas Negroponte, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab "There's a lot of great insights and practical advice for the entrepreneur in this book, stuff you normally won't read or hear unless you buy some hard-bitten company founder a few drinks. If you are launching a technology startup, reading this book is the thing you should do first." -- Mark Roberti, founder and editor in chief of RFID Journal "I wish I had read Bernd's book when we founded The Echo Nest. Bernd touches on all the major issues in the initial formation stages of a tech company and many of the problems that come up when the company matures. If you are thinking of founding your own tech startup, read this book first." -- Tristan Jehan, cofounder of The Echo Nest "A visceral, behind-the-scenes guide to technology entrepreneurship. Bernd tells it like it is and presents a universe of solutions to tricky startup situations that can significantly improve the odds of success. Indispensable." -- Larry Begley, cofounder and managing director at .406 Ventures "The best-laid business plans never survive contact with reality. Bernd has provided a comprehensive guide to anticipating the unexpected in the life of a startup." -- Neil Gershenfeld, professor and director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Bits and Atoms BERND SCHONER worked in the Physics and Media Group and the Things-That-Think research consortium at the MIT Media Lab, where he received his PhD. He cofounded and sold the high-tech startup ThingMagic to Trimble Navigation, a multibillion-dollar public technology company, where he now serves as vice president of business development. He lives with his wife and son in New York City and Cambridge, Massachusetts. BERND SCHONER worked in the Physics and Media Group and the Things-That-Think research consortium at the MIT Media Lab, where he received his PhD. He cofounded and sold the high-tech startup ThingMagic to Trimble Navigation, a multibillion-dollar public technology company, where he now serves as vice president of businessdevelopment. He lives with his wife and son in New York City and Cambridge, Massachusetts.