The Science of Growth: How Facebook Beat Friendster--And How Nine Other Startups Left the Rest in the Dust - Hardcover

Sean Ammirati lays it all out for any entrepreneur or executive to create new markets or opportunities. The world is ripe for iteration, innovation and disruption. With this book, you become part of change rather than a victim to it. - Brian Solis, digital analyst and author of "X: The Experience When Business Meets Design"" "If you've ever wondered why some ventures soar while others stagnate--even when they seem to provide the same solution--this book has the answer. It's easy to assume the good ones just got lucky, but this 'luck' was a result of an astute strategy and hard work. Here, Sean Ammirati details every aspect of their winning approach, so you can make sure your company is the next Facebook (instead of the next Friendster.)"--Dave Mawhinney, Co-Founder/Director, Carnegie Mellon Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship "In an unusually revelatory case based format, The Science of Growth provides an excellent guide for entrepreneurs looking to scale their businesses."--Sean Ellis, Founder and CEO, GrowthHackers.com "Numerous books describe what entrepreneurs must do to birth their startup and achieve product-market fit, yet few effectively outline how to leverage this initial success and nurture a company through its awkward adolescence. The Science of Growth is unique, because its author is a serially successful entrepreneur and investor, turned Carnegie Mellon Professor. This combination results in an entertaining book that is based on sound research, overlaid with real-world wisdom and battle-tested experiences. "--John Greathouse, UC Santa Barbara Professor and Partner at Rincon Venture Partners "For corporate leaders of all types, growth is required. But as many quickly learn, it's hard to scale the business yet keep the values of the organization intact. Sean Ammirati finds the balance in this easy to digest but immensely helpful read. If you are looking for rocket fuel to power your enterprise upward--without crashing--read it!"--Tim Sanders, author of Dealstorming and Love Is the Killer App "Sean Ammirati lays it all out for any entrepreneur or executive to create new markets or opportunities. The world is ripe for iteration, innovation and disruption. With this book, you become part of change rather than a victim to it."--Brian Solis, digital analyst and author of X: The Experience When Business Meets Design "What happens after you find product-market fit?" This question drives Ammirati's timely and lucid book, along with strong research, key insights, and a conversational writing style far too absent in today's business publishing world. Highly recommended, I learned a lot.--John Battelle, CEO, Founder NewCo Platform "This insightful guide will help readers find much-needed direction and inspiration."--Publishers Weekly "An authority in the field of the startup economy, Ammirati teaches the subject at Carnegie Mellon and heads one the country's most successful startup incubators, and it shows in the way his book is thoroughly researched. It's also accessible, easy to read, and eye opening. This is a necessary and welcome addition to the business canon."--John Keogh, Booklist "If you've ever wondered why some ventures soar while others stagnate--even when they seem to provide the same solution--this book has the answer. It's easy to assume the good ones just got lucky, but this 'luck' was a result of an astute strategy and hard work. Here, Sean Ammirati details every aspect of their winning approach, so you can make sure your company is the next Facebook (instead of the next Friendster.)"--Dave Mawhinney, Co-Founder/Director, Carnegie Mellon Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship "In an unusually revelatory case based format, "The Science of Growth "provides an excellent guide for entrepreneurs looking to scale their businesses." Sean Ellis, Founder and CEO, GrowthHackers.com "Numerous books describe what entrepreneurs must do to birth their startup and achieve product-market fit, yet few effectively outline how to leverage this initial success and nurture a company through its awkward adolescence." The Science of Growth "is unique, because its author is a serially successful entrepreneur and investor, turned Carnegie Mellon Professor. This combination results in an entertaining book that is based on sound research, overlaid with real-world wisdom and battle-tested experiences. " John Greathouse, UC Santa Barbara Professor and Partner at Rincon Venture Partners For corporate leaders of all types, growth is required. But as many quickly learn, it s hard to scale the business yet keep the values of the organization intact. Sean Ammirati finds the balance in this easy to digest but immensely helpful read. If you are looking for rocket fuel to power your enterprise upward without crashing read it! Tim Sanders, author of "Dealstorming" and "Love Is the Killer App " Sean Ammirati lays it all out for any entrepreneur or executive to create new markets or opportunities. The world is ripe for iteration, innovation and disruption. With this book, you become part of change rather than a victim to it. --Brian Solis, digital analyst and author of "X: The Experience When Business Meets Design" "What happens after you find product-market fit?" This question drives Ammirati's timely and lucid book, along with strong research, key insights, and a conversational writing style far too absent in today's business publishing world. Highly recommended, I learned a lot.--John Battelle, CEO, Founder NewCo Platform "This insightful guide will help readers find much-needed direction and inspiration."--Publishers Weekly "An authority in the field of the startup economy, Ammirati teaches the subject at Carnegie Mellon and heads one the country s most successful startup incubators, and it shows in the way his book is thoroughly researched. It s also accessible, easy to read, and eye opening. This is a necessary and welcome addition to the business canon."--John Keogh, "Booklist"" For corporate leaders of all types, growth is required. But as many quickly learn, it s hard to scale the business yet keep the values of the organization intact. Sean Ammirati finds the balance in this easy to digest but immensely helpful read. If you are looking for rocket fuel to power your enterprise upward without crashing read it! Tim Sanders, author of "Dealstorming" and "Love Is the Killer App " Sean Ammirati lays it all out for any entrepreneur or executive to create new markets or opportunities. The world is ripe for iteration, innovation and disruption. With this book, you become part of change rather than a victim to it. - Brian Solis, digital analyst and author of "X: The Experience When Business Meets Design""

The lean entrepreneurship movement has captivated Silicon Valley and entrepreneurs across the country. It's provided an agile framework to develop the right product solution for a given target market, and is now used by almost every fledgling company to do just that. The next challenge is growth - to achieve the financial returns and, more importantly, the impact they dreamed of when starting off on their adventure. Why do some companies realize the VC's goal of a 10x return on investment, while others flounder? What differentiates the companies that become part of the fabric of our lives and remain responsive, no matter how big they get from those that quickly fade? To find out, Ammirati looks at 20 different companies in pairs, who have achieved product-market fit at about the same point in history with the same general target customer-one of which has gone on to achieve real scale, while the other languished. As his research reveals, just a handful of choices-among them, who to partner with, how to finance growth, and how to use data-make all the difference in the world. With such intriguing examples as Linked ln vs. Spoke, Facebook vs. Friendster, and McDonald's vs. White Castle, Ammirati shows the secret of "the science of growth" and how to cultivate it in any organization.