![Hot Seat: The Startup CEO Guidebook by [Shapiro, Dan]](http://web.archive.org./web/20190727235915im_/https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41J2oDgKmRL._SY346_.jpg)
Building a venture capital funded start-up is one of the hardest things that most people will ever do. This is the best book I've found on building a start-up, from funding through exit. If you are founding a start-up or working for one, this book is essential reading.
The press reports of SnapChat turning down a $3 billion acquisition offer from Facebook, or an app called Yo (which sends the text message "yo" to your friend's phone) getting $1 million venture funding reflects the mythology of start-ups. The book Hot Seat describes the reality.
Dan Shapiro is not some "Master of the Universe" who founded a start-up during the dot-com boom and managed to sell out before the crash. He has built multiple start-ups from the ground up, the hard way. There's no business jargon in Hot Seat, no empty platitudes. He writes about the mistakes he made, along with his successes. He writes about how hard it is to raise money as a first time founder. But he tries to give you some of the knowledge that you will need to succeed.
Dan Shapiro is an excellent writer and he presents the critical information in Hot Seat in an engaging manner. He writes not only of his own experience, but of the experiences of people he knows.
The first half of the book discusses some of the challenges a start-up CEO will face. Raising money, attracting co-founders and early employees, dealing with investors, some of the critical forms you need to file. This book is so good that I have absolutely no doubt that I will read it again.
The second half of the book is about how to manage your success after you survive the early challenges. Dan writes that there are always challenges and risks, they just change in nature. I have to confess that I didn't read the second half as closely because I kept thinking "I should be so lucky". But if I do succeed, I will be rereading the second half.
One of the scariest things about founding a company is that there are few guides. This book is one of the best you're going to find.
Review
Every CEO in the Highway1 program is going to be welcomed with a firm handshake and a copy of this book.
BRADY FORREST
VP of Highway1
I would have killed for this book as I learned the ropes; it's now going to be required reading for all the startups I back.
This book is like a compendium of every mistake I've made or seen founders make over my history as a startup investor. It will save you money, it will save you time, and it may save your company.
I would have killed for this book as I learned the ropes; it's now going to be required reading for all the startups I back.
MIKE MCSHERRY
Angel investor; founder and CEO of Swype
This book is like a compendium of every mistake I've made or seen founders make over my history as a startup investor. It will save you money, it will save you time, and it may save your company.
CHRIS DIBONA
Angel investor; Director of Open Source at Google
About the Author
Dan Shapiro is the CEO and cofounder of Glowforge, a startup that's creating the first 3D laser printer. Dan's also the primary turtle wrangler at Robot Turtles, LLC, a company created when he accidentally launched the bestselling boardgame in Kickstarter history. Dan spent the previous two years leading a Google subsidiary that operates comparison shopping products. Shapiro landed at Google when they bought his previous company, comparison shopping website Sparkbuy. Before Sparkbuy, Shapiro was founder and CEO of Photobucket Inc. (formerly Ontela).
Dan's been featured on NPR, the Wall Street Journal, and on the front page of the New York Times. His game, Robot Turtles, can be purchased everywhere from Target to MOMA. He is a mentor for the Founder's Institute, 500 Startups, and Techstars. He has been awarded eleven US patents, and received his B.S. in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College.
