Tech Startup Toolkit

How to launch strong and exit big

Jothy Rosenberg

• Publisher: Manning
• Year: 2024
• Topic: Business
• eBook ISBN:
  9781638355557
• Subtopic: Entrepreneurship
• Index: Business

Essential advice for anyone aspiring to start up a technology company, based on decades of business experience.

In Tech Startup Toolkit, you’ll discover the good, the bad, and the ugly of succeeding with a tech startup. Author Jothy Rosenberg reveals the insights he’s learned from an entrepreneurial career that’s seen both $100 million sales, dramatic failures, and everything in between.

Tech Startup Toolkit gives you concrete, actionable advice on how to:

• Succeed as a first-time CEO
• Pitch and raise money from various types of investors
• Develop a go-to-market strategy
• Create a strong positive culture
• Understand what makes a VC tick
• Write an elevator pitch
• Understand investment deal terms
• Hone and align teams
• Effectively downsize or wind down a company
• Position a company to be acquired

In Tech Startup Toolkit Jothy tells stories from his incredible career that will give guidance and inspiration to anyone who’s ever thought of creating or running a company. Every personal story teaches a vital lesson for any would-be startup founder, ensuring you avoid the pitfalls that end less-prepared companies.

Foreword by Vivjan Myrto.

About the technology

Why do eight out of ten tech startups fail? Is it inevitable? In Tech Startup Toolkit, nine-time tech startup founder Jothy Rosenberg tells you how to beat the odds. Part memoir and part survival guide, this book delivers battle-tested, unvarnished advice on capital, culture, boards, marketing, and management.

About the book

Tech Startup Toolkit covers everything a new founder needs to ensure a great idea can become a stable tech company that’s ripe for acquisition. In 31 short anecdotes from Jothy’s extensive experience, you’ll learn how to pitch investors, develop a go-to-market strategy, and build the leadership skills that really matter for a great startup CEO. And since forewarned is forearmed, you’ll also find strategies to handle challenges like funding loss, competition, and unpredictable crises like Covid-19 that break lesser startups.

About the reader

For prospective founders, early-stage teams, and anyone interested in tech entrepreneurship.

About the author

Jothy Rosenberg has been an incorrigible entrepreneur since 1988. Formerly the VP of Borland’s developer division, Jothy has founded and run nine technology startups, two of which had $100 million exits.

Table of contents

• Praise for Tech Startup Toolkit
• Tech Startup Toolkit
• dedication
• contents
• foreword
• preface
• acknowledgments
• about this book
• about the author
• Part 1 First time leading a startup
• 1 Scratching the startup itch: How I became an incorrigible entrepreneur
• 2 What makes you think you are CEO material?
• 3 A venture-backed turnaround: A dangerous place to be
• 4 The founding team: Who’s in and who’s not?
• Part 2 Raising money
• 5 Friends and family, angels, venture capital, or strategic?
• 6 Angels: Your bridge financing solution
• 7 The art of pitching to institutional investors
• 8 Investors aren’t your friends
• 9 Understand the VC business model: Raise money faster
• 10 Seed: The first priced round
• 11 Term sheets: An institutional investor wants to invest in you
• 12 Due diligence: An exam you must pass
• Part 3 Business strategies, models and plans
• 13 Your business model: The beating heart of your business
• 14 Getting to a minimum viable product with lighthouse customers
• 15 Product–market fit: Making sure the dogs will eat your dog food
• 16 Go-to-market: How to make your business viable and grow
• 17 A formal business plan in 10 steps
• 18 Burn rate and runway—or, where is the edge of that cliff?
• 19 Achieving cash-flow positive: A startup’s Holy Grail
• 20 Your startup’s valuation: Up, up, up (hopefully)
• Part 4 Your team: Building it, sizing it, aligning it
• 21 Hire slowly—and correctly
• 22 Beyond foosball: Crafting a positive culture that retains your team
• 23 Does a startup need both a CEO and a COO?
• 24 Marketing: Too often a startup’s afterthought
• 25 The right character for your sales leader— and when to hire them
• Part 5 Management challenges
• 26 Startup boards: The good, (how to prevent) the bad, and the ugly
• 27 Board observers: Observe only, please
• 28 Investor communications: They needn’t be cod liver oil
• 29 Heaven forbid if you must downsize
• 30 Heaven forbid if you must wind it up
• 31 Acquisition: Your financial dream come true
• appendix
• index