The VC Field Guide: Fundamentals of Venture Capital - Hardcover

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

WILLIAM LIN has spent his career close to creation and creators, as an entrepreneur, founder, innovator, and investor. Over a decade as a venture capitalist, Will started as an entry level investor and eventually became Managing Director and member of the founding team at Forgepoint Capital, a $1 billion AUM venture capital firm with roots in cybersecurity. He co-founded and is Chairman of the Security Tinkerers, a nonprofit organization that gathers information for security professionals seeking opportunities in the security community. He is now pursuing the next stage of his career as a founder of a cybersecurity startup. Will graduated from UC Berkeley and lives in the Bay Area with his life partner, dog, and cats.

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Praise for The VC Field Guide

“I hear this question from LPs, entrepreneurs, and MBAs all the time, ‘How do you decide on the valuation of a startup when there is no historical data to go by?’ The Venture Capital Investment Framework (VCIF), anchored on six areas of questioning, is flexible enough to adjust to any industry vertical and provides a solid foundation to anyone thinking about startups.”
― CLAUDIA ZEISBERGER, Professor of Entrepreneurship at INSEAD, Founder Global Private Equity Initiative, and Author of Mastering Private Equity

“One of the most important skills in venture capital is asking the right questions. It took me a long time to learn the questions that matter and to ask them in a sophisticated way. The VCIF is a great foundation for any VC to start defining and refining the questions they need to ask to become a successful investor.”
― JAI DAS, President, Partner, Co-Founder at Sapphire Ventures

“I unconsciously used the VCIF when I led the early round in Zoom and others. The Zoom team (who) built a product that worked flawlessly (what) on mobile devices (when and why) and significantly expanded the TAM (where and how.) This framework also applies to other aspects of the startup ecosystem, whether you are starting a company or acquiring one.”
― NAGRAJ KASHYAP, Managing Partner at Softbank Investment Advisors and Founder of M12, Microsoft’s Venture Fund

“Understanding how fund partners select portfolio companies can provide critical insights into their ability to generate strong returns. By providing a structured and systematic approach to evaluating startups, William Lin’s VCIF is an invaluable tool for allocators when performing fund manager due diligence. Therefore, it is a must-read for any LP looking to invest in venture capital funds.”
― ZIAD SARKIS, Alternative Investments Research Director and Lecturer at the Wharton School, Advisor to Allocators and Alternative Investments Funds

Aus dem Klappentext

Venture capital is a high-profile industry, capturing headlines with each unicorn ($1 billion) exit, and many companies that are household names―Amazon, Netflix, Uber, Google―began as mere startups. But despite its high profile, venture capital remains shrouded in secrecy and understanding why VCs invest in some companies and not others is a black box. Until now.

In The VC Field Guide: Fundamentals of Venture Capital, multi-time founder Will Lin demystifies the venture capital industry and shares the Venture Capital Investment Framework (VCIF) he created to help you understand how VCs make decisions, what criteria they use to de-risk startup funding, and how those criteria change based on the stage of the startup and the strategy of the VC firm.

The Venture Capital Investment Framework is a powerful tool that can be learned and applied by anyone in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Lin shares targeted advice for every stakeholder. If you’re a student, what are the career paths into the venture industry and what skills do you need? If you’re a founder, what is the mindset of the VC investor and how can you streamline your search for funding? If you’re a Limited Partner, how can you best evaluate VC firms and startup opportunities? If you’re a Next-Gen VC, how can you accelerate your career and make a big impact in your firm?

The VC Field Guide answers these questions and more, and by applying Will Lin’s framework you’ll not only understand why VCs make the decisions they do, but you’ll be able to start thinking like a VC yourself.