Founder vs Investor

“The rarest of business books, one that provides genuinely actionable counsel delivered without empty cliches.” – KIRKUS

How many world-changing startups will fail because the founders and investors never figure out how to work together  Founder Elizabeth Zalman and Investor Jerry Neumann square off in this one-of-a-kind book, exposing how startups are built, broken, and fought over. 

Every iconic tech company was once a startup. And while these companies like to paint an origin story full of surefooted confidence, the truth is usually something different: the early life of most startups is pure chaos.

This chaos comes from the vastly different motivations and incentives between those with the vision and those with the money. From fundraising paranoia to boardroom coups, Zalman and Neumann train their inimitable voices on the gulf between what founders and investors promise to do and what they end up actually doing.

Founder vs Investor is the brutal truth, from each side’s perspective, of the pitfalls of this tenuous relationship—where bad blood can turn sure things into shattered dreams. It is the only book written by insiders with the temerity to pull back the curtain on the world of high growth venture-backed startups.

'... No pulled punches, no half-truths, no politically correct weasel-words.' Sandy Lerner, Co-Founder Cisco, Founder Urban Decay
'A fascinating, informative, and stellar study of tech company turmoil based on the differing perspectives and goals between creators and financial investors inside the tech companies that have come to so dramatically and fundamentally influence our lives, our economy, our politics, and our culture. Founder vs Investor: The Honest Truth About Venture Capital from Startup to IPO is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, corporate, college, and university library collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.' Midwest Book Review
'Since I first began learning about startups--from the perspective of both founders and investors--I've relied on Jerry to explain how things really work. It's no surprise he and Liz have written the definitive guide to the trickiest parts of the relationships between founders and investors. Anyone in or around startups will emerge wiser having read this book.' Patrick O'Shaughnessy, Founder of Positive Sum & Colossus, Host of Invest Like the Best
'True leaders make the hard decisions that oftentimes don't please founders or investors, but are ultimately in the best interests of the company. I wish Founder vs Investor had been around earlier in my career; it would have been required reading before the first board meeting.' Michele Bettencourt, Investor, Advisor, Operator
'Zalman and Neumann's Founder vs Investor: The Honest Truth about Venture Capital from Startup to IPO, is an unvarnished, first-hand guide to their lessons learned about the complex relationship between startup founders and funders. This is a must-read for entrepreneurs and investors alike, demystifying everything from term sheets and valuations to the impact of identity and interests, aligned and conflicted, in fueling a venture-backed startup.' Chris Wiggins, Columbia University Professor, Chief Data Scientist at the New York Times, and author of How Data Happened: A History from the Age of Reason to the Age of Algorithms
'This is an impressively candid work, and one of remarkable practical value to anyone who intends to be a founder or investor, or work with either. The rarest of business books, one that provides genuinely actionable counsel delivered without empty cliches.' KIRKUS

Elizabeth Zalman is an infrastructure and information security expert. She is a two-time founder and CEO of venture-backed companies, building the first to a successful exit and the second to a multi-hundred-million-dollar business. Elizabeth has raised more than $100 million in venture capital from the most renowned investors in the world. She is a frequent speaker and guest at industry events and tech podcasts, in addition to being an investor and advisor herself.Jerry Neumann is a twenty-five-year veteran of venture capital. He has invested in some of the most successful venture-funded companies of the past three decades, including Datadog and Trade Desk, and has worked alongside dozens of entrepreneurs as investor, board member, and advisor. Jerry also teaches entrepreneurship at Columbia University, and authors articles on his popular blog, ReactionWheel.net.

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