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Usually ships in 1 business days | | Only 1 left in stock, order soon! | | | "Until a few years ago," notes journalist-consultant Udayan Gupta, "venture capitalists were hardly on anyone's radar screen." That's not the case these days, as financiers who used to work behind the scenes now regularly set markets afire with their public support of high-profile technology and Internet stocks. In Done Deals, Gupta allows 35 of the brightest stars in what has become a $30-billion-a-year business to tell their own stories in their own words. We get to see exactly what they were thinking when they backed such endeavors as Intel, eBay, Excite, Genentech, and 3Com. Gupta's intention is to demonstrate how the industry has changed over the past half-century and how it differs today among its various forms. He achieves this beautifully by dividing the first-person accounts into thematically attuned sections that focus on dealmakers of the future (such as Mitch Kapor of Accel Partners), early pioneers (including the late Benno Schmidt of J.H. Whitney & Co.), West Coast veterans (such as Don Valentine of Sequoia Capital), past and present East Coast practitioners (like Charles Waite of Greylock Management), and visionaries (including John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers). Some of the stories are more detailed than others, but taken together, they provide a well-rounded view that will interest anyone who must deal with this often intertwined yet still individual world. --Howard Rothman | | | |
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| | Product Details | | Hardcover: | 448 pages | | Publisher: | Harvard Business School Press | | Publication Date: | 2000-09 | | ISBN: | 0875849385 | | Package Length: | 9.0 inches | | Package Width: | 6.2 inches | | Package Height: | 1.5 inches | | Package Weight: | 1.8 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 15 reviews |
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10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
 A great way to learn the who and what of the VC industry Aug 02, 2004
While this book was written at the height of the Internet boom and contains nothing but some intimations of the subsequent crash (some of the VCs stated that they suspected returns would turn negative sometime in the near term), it is a fascinating capturing of the history of the venture capital industry in the words of those that built it. It is not a book on how to become a VC or how to submit your b-plan in a way to attract VC money. If you want books on getting investment money, I recommend - The Venture Capital Cycle - by Paul Gompers or for angel money - Angel Investing - by Mark Van Osnabrugge.
The book begins with a very short summary of the growth of the VC industry after WWII and then presents the VCs in five groups. It begins with the "Fast Forward" or the hot Internet and computer based VCs. Then come the "Beginnings" - the group after WWII that built the industry. A contrast is made with the next two groups, the East Coast versus the West Coast VCs. Finally, a group is presented in Visions.
Each of the VCs is presented with a little drawing in the WSJ style. I think this book is worthwhile just to get to know some of the big names, where they work - or used to work (there have been some changes since 2000) - and what projects these firms and people did. It can help in building professional associations let alone dinner conversation.
Is it a must read? I don't think so. However, if you are interested in the venture capital industry I think this would be a very good way to get some understanding of the terrain the industry has occupied and who some of the movers and shakers are (and were).
5 of 6 found the following review helpful:
 AN INVALUABLE PEEP INTO THE WORLD OF VENTURE CAPITAL Apr 19, 2003
Many of the yesteryear superstars from the boom hitech sector may have unceremoniously gone belly up, and VC is not exactly as "hot" as it was at the turn of the century, but turns out that circling overhead the dot-com carnage was an enthusiastic Gupta scribbling detailed notes of what was going on in the industry. He rounded up a flock of 35 leading venture cap investors, from early pioneers such as Eugene Kleiner and Arthur Rock to current industry stars Geoff Yang and John Doerr. Had them reveal a great deal of gripping skinny on their ventures, solid facts from actual deals they'd worked on. Organized the stash of all this collective wisdom into a neat little bound volume -- and voila - we have a ripper of a book! Organized into five parts (Fast Forward, Beginnings, West Coast, East Coast and Visions), the book examines the industry's humble beginnings to its extraordinary present (ok, very very recent past and hopefully a recent future). For a non-US reader such as myself, it also contains a priceless critique on the differences between West Coast and East Coast investing, which is unique because you'll recognize that a relatively nascent industry such as VC can sport widely varying investment philosophies as well. As investment spreads out to Europe, Australia and China, this becomes even more useful. The book packs info about the hottest deals we had heard about - from Yahoo to www.Amazon.com - which makes for a gripping read in of itself. But beyond that, there are invaluable insights and discussions at length about how the VCs set up their partnerships and hand pick top management teams. Much better than reading a "VC 101" text book because it presents a hands-on glimpse at the industry's past and future from the veterans' point of view. Consider this book to be a detailed case study introduction to some of the more successful companies, from some of the more committed (and recognized) minds. A highly recommended possession for your libraries -- if not as investment advice, at least as an insider guide to the fascinating industry of venture capital.
1 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 Questioning May 21, 2002
I opened this book with anticipation that I would be presented with an insightful examination of how the greats of the venture capital world worked with thier investments. What I found was a one-sided exploration about why these folks were great but not any of the grit that they must have faced to become the success that they are.
6 of 7 found the following review helpful:
a must for VCs Feb 10, 2001
As a VC myself, I found this book to be very inspirational. What struck me as a common theme among the great VCs was that there was a sense of vision and purpose. Sure everyone wanted to make a lot of money but you get the feeling all of these guys cared about creating a frontier and exploring it. With the bursting of the internet bubble I think people need to get back to that. Unfortunately, VCs are too busy raiding distressed companies to really think about creating the next tech frontier. But the next great VC will be the one that follows the instincts laid out in this book. Hopefully it will be me!
7 of 11 found the following review helpful:
old news Jan 06, 2001
I was disappointed with this book. Rather than a behind the scenes look into the strategy and excitement of today's dealmaking, it is a look into the past (poorly edited)of several VCs really not relating to their current successes. Better historical perspective in "The Big Deal" by Wasserstein and better strategy in "Winning at M&A" by Clemente and Greenspan.
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