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Book Review: Funding Your Start-up: And Other Nightmares

Hands-on book for making a plan to set a start-up!

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Book Title: Funding Your Start-up: And Other Nightmares

Author: Dhruv Nath and Sushanto Mitra

Format: Kindle

Book Review:

In recent years the word ‘start-up’ has been making rounds. Start-up businesses have been receiving increased attention in many parts of the world. In our country, India, the number of start-ups has snowballed, and more support has become available for them. The Indian start-up system and model have been successful in most cases since 2010.

If we talk about the genesis of start-up culture in India, we shall initially look at the roots of this initiative. Start-ups have played and continue to play significant roles in the growth, development, and industrialization of many economics all over the world.

India has declared 2010-20 as the Decade of Innovation. The Government has stressed the need to vocalize a policy to synergies science, technology & innovation and has also established the National Innovation Council(NIC).

Here, in the book, Funding Your Start-up: And Other Nightmares, the author Dhruv Nath who is a professor at the Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, is also an active angel investor and a director with Lead Angels. He has invested in over ten start-ups and has mentored several others.

Also, if we talk about the other author Sushanto Mitra, he has been associated with the early-stage start-up ecosystem in India for more than fifteen years, with prior experience in consulting and financial services.

Funding-Your-Start-up-And-Other- Nightmares

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He founded Lead Angels with a team of three, all from IIT Bombay. Today Mitra has taken the network to more than 130 members and a full-time group of twelve people. The company is now a full-stack financial services provider for start-ups, covering advisory and professional services.

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When a youngster thinks of setting up a start-up company, all certain time, he or she expects a support system. The authors Dhruv Nath and Sushanto Mitra provide such a support system that the young entrepreneurs rely upon.

This book has 21 chapters divided into categories explains in detail the whole world of a start-up business in India. The focus is mostly on how to get funds, what innovative approaches a company must take to taste success, not accept the defeat easily if the initial days run through a rough road, etc. kind of wisdom words.

A practical illustration of companies is mentioned in the book. The age-old traditions of having ample office space in a giant building, or the lines of business that are not considered on the front-line (sanitary pads, recycled materials, etc.) are scraped off very diligently in the chapters.

Though not in a direct manner, anyone having such taboos or doubts can easily shrug off these rules and hence start their business. A business will also taste failures. When such situations arise, the most important concern is about the funds. In the book, both the authors have also pragmatically explained the steps to cope up and hence march towards the brighter side.

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This book contains a list of handpicked real-life stories that teach a lot. I find this a highly superior way of delivering a message or imparting wisdom. I recommend the book very strongly.

Who can read

The book, Funding Your Start-up: And Other Nightmares is an excellent read for anyone who wants to start or is already in the start-up. The authors have illustrated and presented the readers with a realistic model of running a successful business. Other than the examples explained, many other things can be learned from the book. The importance of cash flow, the secrets for tremendous success, and many other things are presented in understandable language.

How good is the Authors’ writing style

The authors Dhruv Nath and Sushanto Mitra in their book, Funding Your Start-up: And Other Nightmares have addressed some of the essential and crucial concerns. In the elementary and simple language, both the authors have done an excellent job in explaining the real stories of both successful and unsuccessful start-up companies.

An example from a particular industry, its genesis, its story, aftermath results, and such are very well explained. The book can be considered as a ready reference or a hand-book of how not to run a start-up. As the authors say, stories of failures are more great lessons than successful ones, here in this book, such content is found.

How entertaining is the book

A book’s success also depends not only on the content that it has but the narrative and the tone of the content. If the content, especially in non-fiction books is somber and complex, the readers will be bored and exhausted.

But, if the tone in which the book is written is dynamic, humorous, and realistic, the readers will relate it on a personal level and identify themselves in the book. Yes, this is possible even in the non-fiction genre books that have contents that are useful for the readers.

This book, Funding Your Start-up: And Other Nightmares, as the title suggests, is all about the world of Start-Up companies, the do’s and don’ts, the pros and cons, the successes and failures. The cases, stories, and many such things explained in the book not only educate the readers and entrepreneurs but also entertain them.