The Science of Growth
How Facebook Beat Friendster--and How Nine Other Startups Left the Rest in the Dust
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
In The Science of Growth, venture capitalist and Carnegie Mellon professor Sean Ammirati tackles the dos and don'ts of successful scaling, by looking at the startups that have won—and lost.
The lean entrepreneurship movement has captivated Silicon Valley and entrepreneurs across the country. It's provided an agile framework to develop the right product solution for a given target market, and is now used by almost every fledgling company to do just that.
The next challenge is growth - to achieve the financial returns and, more importantly, the impact they dreamed of when starting off on their adventure. Why do some companies realize the VC's goal of a 10x return on investment, while others flounder? What differentiates the companies that become part of the fabric of our lives and remain responsive, no matter how big they get from those that quickly fade? To find out, Ammirati looks at 20 different companies in pairs, who have achieved product-market fit at about the same point in history with the same general target customer-one of which has gone on to achieve real scale, while the other languished.
As his research reveals, just a handful of choices-among them, who to partner with, how to finance growth, and how to use data-make all the difference in the world. With such intriguing examples as LinkedIn vs. Spoke, Facebook vs. Friendster, and McDonald's vs. White Castle, Ammirati shows the secret of "the science of growth" and how to cultivate it in any organization.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Ammirati, a partner at venture capital firm Birchmere Ventures, examines why some companies stall out while others scale up. He presents a cogent, thoughtful investigation of how Facebook beat Friendster, YouTube beat Revver, and a host of companies came out ahead of their superficially similar competition. In an era of globalization and growing emphasis on entrepreneurship, more and more budding business owners will need a toolbox for success, which Ammirati provides. He lists prerequisites for competing effectively, which include a well-defined vision, a scalable idea, the solution to a real problem, and an "excellent first interaction" between the world and your product. He also debunks common misconceptions about what companies need to survive. Readers trying to decide how to grow a new venture will appreciate the helpful discussions of such topics as scaling your business, acquiring and converting customers, understanding the algorithms behind online rankings, and motivating your workforce. This insightful guide will help readers find much-needed direction and inspiration.
