Founder vs Investor: The Honest Truth About Venture Capital from Startup to IPO
About this audiobook
Read by the authors.
“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.
Accompanying charts, tables, and a glossary are included in the audiobook companion PDF download.
About the author
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.
