The Venture Mindset - by Ilya Strebulaev & Alex Dang (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"Full of powerful, practical lessons on changing how we think and act." -Eric Schmidt, former CEO and Chairman of Google

"Many principles mentioned in the book helped us build Zoom, and they will help you as well." -Eric S. Yuan, Founder & CEO, Zoom

Inspired by venture capitalists' unique way of thinking, The Venture Mindset offers a transformative playbook for delivering results in a rapidly changing world from a top Stanford professor and a technology executive.

Venture capitalists are known for their extraordinary ability to spot opportunities. They know how to identify emerging trends, how to bring new industries into being, and when to hold them and when to fold. Their unique mindset has made them the force behind world-changing companies such as Amazon, Google, Moderna, SpaceX, and Zoom.

Stanford Professor Ilya Strebulaev has devoted two decades to studying VCs' counterintuitive approaches to decision-making and the reasons behind the successes and failures of corporate innovations. Alex Dang has witnessed up close how VCs' thinking and mechanisms can create successful businesses at companies like Amazon and McKinsey.

Combining their insight and extensive experience, they present nine distinct principles that will help you make better decisions, transform your business, and achieve remarkable results, no matter your industry.

In The Venture Mindset, you'll learn:

- One question VCs ask that will change the way you evaluate opportunities
- Why you should encourage dissent and be wary of consensus
- The number one killer of innovation in traditional corporate environments
- Why it's crucial to learn when to 'pull the plug' on initiatives
- Why failure is not just an option, but a necessity

Packed with entertaining stories and scientific precision, The Venture Mindset is a must-read for anyone who wants to be better equipped for the era of uncertainty when industry, company, and career can be disrupted overnight. The Venture Mindset will teach you more than how to simply survive. It'll teach you how to win big.

Review Quotes

"The Venture Mindset distills how we -- as corporations and individuals -- can apply tenets from venture capital to our own lives, transforming traditional organizations into hubs for innovation. The book is full of powerful, practical lessons on changing how we think and act. The authors share many of the lessons I learned the hard way over decades in technology. I found this a digestible, propulsive, and insightful read for those within and beyond the walls of Silicon Valley."
-Eric Schmidt, former CEO and Chairman of Google

"With artificial intelligence shaking up a broad sweep of industries, [Strebulaev's and Dang's] advice -- part self-help and part executive coaching, articulated with extended case studies -- is well timed."
-Financial Times

"Reserve a spot for this book next to Built to Last. Together they provide a powerful guide for a new generation of leaders."
-Jerry Porras, co-author of bestseller Built to Last

"A compelling playbook for founders of startups and executives seeking to infuse large corporations with the venture mindset. Crisp, practical, and laden with rich examples."
-Hayagreeva Rao, Professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Scaling Up Excellence

"Venture investors constantly search for ways to deliver asymmetric impact. This important book will appeal to anyone who wants to apply the VC mindset to their organizations. Insightful, accessible, and important."
-Joel Peterson, former chairman of JetBlue

"Strebulaev and Dang really know their stuff - and they deliver their insights and advice with remarkable clarity."
-Jerry Yang, founding Partner AME Cloud Ventures, co-founder of Yahoo!

"Read this book NOW! It is a very important book for corporations and investors."
-Claudia Fan Munce, chairwoman of Global Corporate Venturing, Board Member of BestBuy

"A terrific insight into what business leaders can learn from the venture capital mindset. Strebulaev and Dang have deep knowledge of the way VCs and corporate innovators think and their impact on the modern economy. Their book is an invaluable guide."
-Lionel Barber, former Editor of Financial Times

"Practical, entertaining, and inspiring."
-Sebastian Gunningham, former Oracle, Apple, and Amazon senior executive

"A must read for CEOs on how to launch a successful corporate VC initiative."
-Carlos Brito, CEO of Belron, former CEO of AB InBev

"Many principles mentioned in the book helped us build Zoom, and they will help you as well."
-Eric S. Yuan, founder & CEO, Zoom

"It is a must read for board members, executives, and investors."
-Amy Banse, investor and Fortune 500 Board Member

About the Author

Ilya Strebulaev is the foremost academic expert on venture capital. As the founder of the Venture Capital Initiative and a Professor of Private Equity and Finance at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, where he teaches a popular class on venture capital, his research has been widely published in leading academic journals and featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Bloomberg and the Harvard Business Review. He frequently leads workshops and executive sessions for senior business and government leaders around the world and has consulted for companies and investors on the venture industry trends and corporate innovation. In 2023 he was named a Top Voice on LinkedIn.

Alex Dang is a CEO, a senior technology executive, and an advisor on innovation and digital strategy. He has two decades of senior leadership as a Partner at McKinsey and Ernst & Young, and as a product leader at Amazon, where he designed and launched numerous new businesses and solutions for millions of customers across ecommerce, supply chain, and AI. He graduated from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.