Fundamentals of Venture Capital

by Joseph W. Bartlett

Book Overview

Written in highly readable layman's language, Fundamentals of Venture Capital is a concise introduction to the key issues facing both investors and entrepreneurs as they embark on the journey of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1568331266
• ISBN13: 9781568331263
• Release Date: November 1999
• Publisher: Madison Books
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A lawyers view of Venture Capitalism

I did not find this book easy to read. I am new to this field, and am a potential enterpreneur, which by definition makes me a potential investor. The book is written by a lawyer who shares his considerable experience advising both venture capitalists and enterpreneurs. The legal aspects that are discussed are of supreme importance, and this book offered me some valuable insights into the dynamics of enterpreneurship. If, like myself, you are a not familiar with the field, I would recommend this as the second or third book you read. I bought this book together with "High Tech Start Up", which I read first (and highly recommend). I have to admit that it is likely that there was a lot in this book that I did not fully understand. I will be using the book for cross reference with my other information sources. ---Update June 2007---------------- Having recently re-read "Fundamentals.." I still think this is one of the best business books I have ever read. The book is useful far beyond the realm of venture capitalism. Anyone in the process of starting a new venture that requires risk capital would find a lot of value in this book.

Remarkable Value

"Fundamentals" is a distilled version of certain chapters in Bartlett's "Equity Finance: Venture Capital, Buyouts, Restructurings and Reorganizations", a 3-volume set available at most major law libraries. "Fundamentals" is really lawyering at its best in that Bartlett unselfishly shares many of the key business points underlying venture finance negotiations but does so in a manner which is easily accessible to most readers. Even for an experienced venture capital attorney, Bartlett's book is useful because it provides a relatively complete overview of the process and delivers the finer points without significant fluff. I would recommend this book to most entrepreneurs, young attorneys and others interested in a quick and practical overview of the venture finance process.

GREAT Book, a MUST read!

As a small business owner and investor, I loved this book. Not only does this book provide in-depth information about raising capital through use of venture capital, banks, investors & angels--it gives practical advice in laymans language. Sure, legal terminology is used, but so much the better to use when trying to raise money or invest. My only criticism is that the book wasnt longer.The best advice the book provides is what NOT to do and which PITFALLS to watch for. Also, how to structure your business plan to the specific financing you seek is helpful. This type of advice is usually out of reach for the average person. I am ordering additional copies for colleagues!

Terrific, but complex

If your a rookie in the world of VC financing and you think that you'll breeze through this 160+ page book in an hour or so, forget it. Having read it, re-read it, underscored, and taken notes, I feel like I've just had two lessons in Karate -- I now know just enough to get myself killed. (And that's with 20+ years of financial background.) That being said - it covers all the bases, contains a wealth of information, and is loaded with practical, albiet sometimes complicated advice. I suggest that you read it, but don't make it your only source -- it's too condensed for the subject matter covered, and will be a bit over the heads of the non-Wall Street types.

A wealth of practical info on VC but difficult to read

This is a very practical book, delving deep into the issues around the process of raising VC financing. But it probably has a wrong title- this is not exaclty 'fundamentals of venture capital' that the author is discussing (maybe for the author with his 35 years experience in this industry it seems so). The author goes much further than simply explain the basic things- he describes a lot of issues that are not trivial. This actually makes the book very valuable, in that it is not of the 'Idiot's guide to..' variety. However, it would have been even more valuable had the author described the nature of the issues in more detail. The book is very short (120 pages), and it seems way too little to describe the nature of the issues raised there, which makes it difficult to understand them.Another drawback of the book is its language- I feel that many things could have been explained in plain English, and this is not a small issue. Some parts of the book are simply impossible to read. I understand that after being a partner in a law firm for many years it's difficult not to use obsure words that can only be found in legal texts, but anyway, this definitely detracts much from the value of the book. The author could have better adhered to the KISS principle ('keep it simple stupid') that he himself mentioned in the book. But again, I'm not a native speaker, so I may be wrong.A good thing about the book is that it is written with humor and sometimes even sarcasm, which makes it interesting to read for someone who appreciates dry wit.