Launchpad Republic - by Howard Wolk & John Landry (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Will America's entrepreneurial spirit continue to define its destiny? What can the rest of the world learn from America's experience?

In Launchpad Republic: America's Entrepreneurial Edge and Why it Matters to All of Us, Howard Wolk and John Landry provide an insightful and thought-provoking history of entrepreneurship in the United States, with a focus on the political, legal, and cultural forces that have sustained "creative destruction" and propelled the country forward for more than 200 years. In telling this story, the book highlights the critical features that have set America apart from other countries and identifies the key attributes necessary for it to maintain leadership for years to come.

Entrepreneurship is a rebellious act, and America's democratic system is unique in enabling new companies to challenge established ones. As a result, the country enjoys not just more robust start-up activity, but also a dynamism that forces big companies to improve--or face the consequences. It protects both property rights and the right to compete in ways not enjoyed elsewhere, encouraging investment and innovation. Aside from assessing how American entrepreneurial capitalism unfolded, the authors address current challenges such as the rise of the "Big Tech", concerns about inequality, inclusivity and sustainability, and the evolution toward stakeholder capitalism. They compare the American approach to both Continental Europe's consensus-oriented framework and China's authoritarian model.

Launchpad Republic offers readers:

• Insights into how America's political, legal and cultural history helped make the country the most dynamic economy in the world since inception
• A framework for understanding how the country's balanced and limited government, decentralized financial and corporate system, and responsiveness to consumers all served to enable innovation and improved standard of living while avoiding many of the pitfalls of cronyism and protectionism
• Fascinating comparisons between the United States and other countries, both historical and contemporary, that provide important context to many of today's critical issues

A book that covers important topics in an easy to read style, Launchpad Republic belongs in the library of every policy wonk, capitalist, entrepreneur, founder, business leader, amateur historian, and technologist with an interest in how America's relentless entrepreneurial spirit has influenced--and will influence--its destiny.

From the Back Cover

PRAISE FOR LAUNCHPAD REPUBLIC

"Wolk and Landry have written a highly original work on a subject hugely important to America's future. Launchpad Republic tackles the economic promise and the social challenge of America's start-up culture. Steeped in history and as up-to-date as Uber, the book nimbly shifts gears from the VC industry to the public interest and invites them each to find a common ground."

--ROGER LOWENSTEIN, author of Ways and Means: Lincoln and His Cabinet and the Financing of the Civil War

"America's entrepreneurial ecosystem and culture is special. Wolk and Landry's brilliant book traces its history and uniqueness, but also contains an important warning: not to take our special sauce for granted. Read it to understand the fixes and adjustments required to preserve this very special tool for growth, prosperity, and addressing society's thorniest problems."

--JEFFREY J. BUSSGANG, Co-founder, Flybridge Capital Partners, Senior Lecturer, Harvard Business School

"Launchpad Republic is an insightful and nuanced exploration of the 'why?' behind America's entrepreneurial culture. As a start-up entrepreneur in the insurance industry with incumbent firms as old as America itself, I've seen firsthand the competing and constructive tensions that Wolk and Landry describe. I'd recommend this book to anyone with an interest in supporting our innovation economy."

--JENNIFER FITZGERALD, Co-founder and CEO, Policygenius, unicorn start-up

"Thanks to Wolk and Landry for taking the reader on a walk through the entrepreneurial foundations of the United States of America. For all the social, economic, and political challenges the U.S. faces, the authors correctly spotlight the themes that make ongoing American exceptionalism a persistent and distinguishing strength against which other countries are to still be measured."

--GREG KIDD, Founder, HardYaka, Silicon Valley investor, Founder, GlobalID

"Wolk and Landry deeply understand the role entrepreneurs, including social entrepreneurs, play in the U.S. and their ability to disrupt systems and create meaningful systems change. I found this book refreshing and spot-on, well worth the read!"

--VANESSA KIRSCH, Founder and Co-CEO, New Profit, venture philanthropy organization

About the Author

HOWARD WOLK is an experienced entrepreneur, company builder and investor. He is co-president of the Cross Country Group, a privately-held firm consisting of start-ups and mature companies. He is a former senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School's Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, where he developed and led a study group on entrepreneurship and society. Howard lives in Boston and London with his wife and two daughters.

JOHN LANDRY is a business historian and writer, and a former editor at Harvard Business Review. He earned a PhD in economic history from Brown University, and he lives in Providence, R.I. with his wife and two sons.