STARTUP - IT'S A BLOOD SPORT - Kirby Warwick J

Selecting great baseball players is just as hard as picking which startup is going to be successful. The movie Moneyball showed the world the power of statistical analysis; to select a small-market team by buying and selling players (based on a base percentage score), which was an approach never considered by managers previously. (The science)

Conversely Trouble With the Curve is the anti-Moneyball film that showed the value of ‘intangibles’ and ‘instincts’ in selecting players that traditional assessments failed to do. (The art)

This book combines both the science and the art/experience in defining what makes a startup special and capable enough to jump the commercial chasm.

Extrapolating out the Lean Canvas, this book introduces the Six Success Themes to enable and empower investors and entrepreneurs to focus on what is important; how to qualify a startup, source funds, operate the business to jump chasms, and prepare for an exit.  

The Six Success Themes include:

• Corporate Strategy
• Innovation
• Engineering
• Growth
• Fiscal and Operations
• People and Performance

The book focuses on assisting startups with a B2B or B2B2C business model as there are vast differences in approaches from that of a B2C startup. One thing for sure is true if you wish be part of a startup:

Get Ready. It’s a Blood Sport.