If you spend enough time working with startups, certain recurring themes emerge. This book explores key themes by telling the stories of 17 different companies. The authors have chosen specific startups to illustrate:1) The challenges of driving customer awareness2) The importance of founding teams3) The hurdles of investing in hardware products4) The fateful role timing plays in the outcome of startups5) The difficulties startups face getting acquiredLord, Mirabile and Mandato have been founders, senior management team members, or board members for over three dozen early stage companies. Collectively, they have decades of startup investing experience in hundreds of companies. It is rare to find so much startup experience in one concise volume, and the fascinating narrative stories of these startups and their founders make for a very enjoyable way to acquire this collective wisdom.