Customer Reviews

High Tech Start Up, Revised and Updated: The Complete Handbook For Creating Successful New High Tech Companies

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If the title was "Managing and Financing Your Startup", I would not have been disappointed. It seems that Nesheim's central message is to find an experienced CEO, and push constantly to get financing.

Nesheim is so insistent on this point that he basically ignores the critical, fundamental question of market assessment: how to determine whether the product is desirable and whether the company has a true "unfair advantage". It seems that Nesheim is more focused on a successful IPO and exit for the funders than on developing a viable business.

As I read the book, I thought of companies like Webvan. Webvan would be successful in Nesheim's view: experienced management, seasoned directors, and well financed. But history showed that they had a product that was too expensive for the marketplace, and they are gone. While Nesheim does not cite Webvan, he does offer other success stories that have fallen far from their initial valuations: DoubleClick, Netscape, and SGI.

Given that, I have a hard time trusting this book. The prettiest forecasts are meaningless unless they are based on a solid product and a solid competitive advantage. And here, Nesheim offers virtually no guidance.

For neophyte Hi-Tech entrepreneurs this book lays out the areas that need to be dealt with in order to successfully move from the early idea stage to the functioning company stage.

There must be a lot of people who would start companies because they already have a great product idea, but don't know what is required in order to do so. For people like this without the desire or time to go get an updated business degree with a course or two in entrepreneurship this book fills a big need.

If you need to actually do some of the required steps in moving from idea to company you will want to get some of the specialist books that cover a single topic such as writing the business plan or those that deal with intellectual property.

I'm giving it four stars because it really was a good and informative book, but it focused too much on raising money from venture capitalists and taking your company public. This is THE book if you've got the next hot electronic gizmo and will need millions to get it to market, but definately look elsewhere if you're a gal or a guy with an idea for a small internet-based business.

I'm giving it four stars because it really was a good and informative book, but it focused too much on raising money from venture capitalists and taking your company public. This is THE book if you've got the next hot electronic gizmo and will need millions to get it to market, but definately look elsewhere if you're a gal or a guy with an idea for a small internet-based business.

Thinking about starting a company? Read this book to find out what it really takes to create a successful high-tech company. This book covers just about every detail and sacrifice you will need to make. A lot of techies aspiring to be the next Bill Gates thought they could start a company based upon the merits of their idea alone, but the facts are it takes a lot more than a good idea to create a successful high tech company.

The book outlines the whole process from initial idea to IPO. The book tends to focus on the IPO-Venture model for startups, giving little ink to other methods. The only downside of this book is it was written during the height of the .CON boom, so don't expect to find the magic formula for developing a startup in today's business climate. The information dealing for personnel, legal, IP, and getting VC funding is worth the cover price alone. Overall, this is an extremely informative book and a must read for anyone thinking about starting a company or joining a startup.

This book changed the way I view the role of CEO in a start-up. Being a CEO of a start-up is a hard job. You raise money, you find good people, you raise money, you fight fires, you raise more money. This book provides an education for what you need to do to raise initial capital and how your world will change if/when your company reaches an IPO.

This is a great book for anyone thinking about starting a company. It walks through all the essential steps of the process and drills down into details like how much in savings you should have before leaving your job. A real strength of this book is Nesheim's constant reminders of all the things that can go wrong. With all the hype that's been out there, this book is a great reality check. I wish I had read it five years ago.

Having worked with dozens of entrepreneurs, I know that most of them ask the same questions during the very early stages; this book answers most of them.

"High Tech Start Up" provides a practical, real-world view at the complex process of forming the company (beyond just the simple incorporation process), preparing yourself legally, developing the business plan, assembling a team, and then raising the capital. This book is truly an "A-to-Z" reference guide that belongs on every entrepreneur's bookshelf.

Author Nesheim's only shortcoming with this work is that little time was dedicated to the very important process of answering key questions about any start-up: What problem do you solve? For whom? Will they pay to have it solved for them? How can you leverage that ability into a long-term business? And so forth...

My suggestion is that the true first-time, early-stage entrepreneur read "Entrepreneur America" before reading anything else. This book provides a "bigger picture" overview and causes the reader to critically assess the business model. Once all of the "assignments" from "Entrepreneur America" are complete, the reader can then move on to "High Tech Start Up" for a more detailed look at the business and capital formation processes.

This book is a nice collection of practical, how-to advice with little hype. It does a good job of giving you a good road map. Emphasising "unfair advantage" coming out in the business plan - amazing how many I've read that don't ever mention why they have an unfair advantage! Only downside is the price - a good one to check out at the library!

Using enormous detail and plenty of case studies, John L. Nesheim presents a step-by-step plan for starting a new high tech company. Given the abundance of insider insights, his guidebook could be a critical part of your training if you are contemplating such a venture. (Although in light of the current atmosphere for new tech ventures, you might want to reconsider altogether.) But after reading this book, you'll at least know what you're getting yourself into before you make that first call to your newly acquired corporate attorney. Nesheim designed his book, also, to be informative for venture capitalists and corporate development managers who work with new ventures. Nesheim backs up his authoritative tone with plenty of facts and figures (updated in this year 2000 second edition) So, if that pregnant gleam in your eye relates to a bouncing, baby tech firm, we at getAbstract.com recommend this book as an essential part of your planning process, with the caveat that times have changed for start ups since this book went to press.