"Like Bill's other Disciplined Entrepreneurship books, this book makes a complex topic accessible and even fun. Finance is one of the most important disciplines for building a successful company, yet it's often poorly understood by technical founders. Bill has a unique ability to strip away the jargon and focus on what founders actually need to know. As a Co-Founder/CTO, I found this book invaluable, and I'm sure other technical founders will too." -- Nischal Nadhamuni, Co-founder & CTO, Klarity "Even the most talented entrepreneurs with terrific ideas can be naive about the fundraising process, and the ultimate consequences are often substantial in terms of their financial returns and even their firms' outcomes. This book--drawing on the authors' many decades of pedagogical and practical experience--seeks to address this important gap in an accessible and thoughtful way. It is a valuable resource for both first-time and seasoned entrepreneurs." -- Josh Lerner, Harvard Business School and Private Capital Research Institute "As the authors say, finance does not make a great company but it sure kills a lot of them.

This book goes a long way toward bringing down that mortality rate. Highly recommend for all entrepreneurs." -- Tom Byers, Stanford University, Faculty Director of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP) "For many technical founders like me, the tendency is to focus on tech and stay away from finance. That's a mistake. You don't have to become a finance expert, but a base level of literacy provides a high degree of leverage. Read this book to get there. It's well worth the calories." -- Dharmesh Shah, co-founder & CTO of HubSpot "I am a scientist at my core, not an accountant or finance person, but this book makes that side of the business something I can not just deal with but feel comfortable leading.

I am deeply grateful that this book exists--not just for me, but for entrepreneurs worldwide." -- Georgina Campbell Flatter, CEO, Greentown Labs "Financial literacy is an often-undervalued part of an entrepreneur's skill set, especially for technical founders. This book helps correct this with it rigorous but easy to digest style." -- Brad Feld, Partner Foundry Group and author of a bunch of books for entrepreneurs, including Venture Deals and Startup Boards "Starting and growing a startup is hard. Anything that can make this easier is welcome. Managing your finances is a necessary thing and if you want to build a meaningful company, you have to understand it. This book pulls the curtain back and makes it easy to understand without losing the key content." -- Paul English, Co-Founder of Kayak and Gumdrop "As an entrepreneur and investor, I've seen innovative, mission-driven startups fail too often on account of inadequate financial management.

Bold vision and technical innovation may attract attention, but they don't keep the lights on, and getting the money right isn't a concession to capitalism -- it's what makes impact possible. This book provides a great pathway for technical founders who've never had to think about the numbers. Now they have no excuse not to." -- Mitch Kapor, founder of Lotus Development Corporation and co-founder of Kapor Capital.