Venture Catalyst : The Five Strategies for Explosive Corporate Growth
Editorial Reviews
Joe Shoendorf, Executive Partner, Accel Partners
"This book really provides major insight about high-growth companies and how they stay that way."
Book Description
"To hell with leadership. Where's the growth?" So demands Lew Platt, the former chairman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard, in an interview with Venture Catalyst author, Don Laurie. Platt's audacious question captures the essence and spirit of this book-a powerful, eye-opening approach to achieving spectacular corporate growth, regardless of economic boom-or-bust cycles.
Aiming right at the heart of the matter, Laurie reminds us that business leaders are charged with two mission-critical responsibilities: they must meet (or exceed) Wall Street's expectations on a quarterly basis, and they need to foster a steady flow of new technologies and products to fuel continuous double-digit growth, rolling three to five years into the future. The tension between balancing short- and long-term goals often leads companies to play it safe, managing growth with traditional strategies-organic growth through product line extensions and international expansion or acquisition-with lackluster results.
In Venture Catalyst, Don Laurie presents a dynamic alternative, drawing on extensive interviews (with corporate and venture capital pioneers as diverse as Roger Ackerman of Corning, Ralph Larsen of Johnson & Johnson, Tim Haley of Redpoint Ventures, and Michael Moritz of Sequoia Capital), in-depth company profiles, and his own expertise as a high-level advisor. From Thermo Electron's launching of technology spinouts to GE Equity's channeling of resources to fund start-ups, Venture Catalyst identifies five key strategies for creating the next billion-dollar business: invent, invest, venture, partner, and integrate. For each strategy, Laurie details the obstacles and advantages, along with the fundamental "preconditions" and "value-added activities" necessary to achieve success.
Reaching far beyond the mechanics of analyzing and implementing ventures, Laurie addresses the cultural issues that can either impede or facilitate the path to wealth creation. He argues that five years from now, nearly half of corporate revenues should come from products and services that don't yet exist and challenges corporate leaders to be aggressive, embrace risk, and mobilize people and resources toward the future. Showing how ventures can maximize intellectual property, stimulate innovation, and identify and enter emerging markets with speed, Laurie builds a compelling case for ventures as creators of shareholder value.
In stark contrast to the mindless frenzy that fueled the dot.com bubble, Venture Catalyst offers a rigorous and field-tested perspective. For executives and managers, venture capitalists and investment bankers, and entrepreneurs alike, this book will become an essential strategic resource.
Venture Catalyst : The Five Strategies for Explosive Corporate Growth
Venture Catalyst : The Five Strategies for Explosive Corporate Growth,Donald L. Laurie,Perseus Books Group,0738204072,Business & Economics,Business / Economics / Finance,Business/Economics,Corporate & Business History - Strategies,Corporations,Economics - General,General,Growth,Industrial management,Structural Adjustment
English Books:
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