Brad Feld is the author of Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist, alongside Jason Mendelson.
Venture Deals is a comprehensive guide for business owners which will induct them into the process of raising funds via venture capital. The book explains everything from jargon on the term sheet to the way deals are structured, to how to pick your advisers. It’s an A-Z on what you need to know to get access to this ubiquitous form of equity capital.
We have ranked Venture Deals as the #2 best venture capital book of all time on our VC books page, which shortlists 26 books about venture capital.
Brad is a venture capitalist and well-regarded speaker & author. He co-founded VC fund Mobius Venture Capital in 2001 and went on to launch Foundry Group in 2007.
Want to hear more from Brad? His Twitter handle is @bfeld, and his popular blog ‘Feld Thoughts’ lives at feld.com. Alternatively, if you prefer the paper-bound format then feel free to browse his author page on Amazon, or take a look at this other works which are listed below the interview.
Brad’s books fall under the following genres:
Interview with Brad Feld:
Please could you tell us a little about your professional background and why you felt inspired to write the book?
Brad: I’ve been an entrepreneur, angel investor, and venture capital investor my entire professional career, going back to 1987 when I started my first company. In 2004, after the collapse of the Internet Bubble, I was working on an investment with a founder whose lawyer was extremely inexperienced with a VC deal. I got frustrated and decided to write a series of blog posts on my blog at feld.com to demystify how a term sheet worked. I was annoyed with the information asymmetry that existed between investor/VC (me) and the entrepreneur, as I felt it was unnecessary and unhelpful. In 2010, after people were sending me PDFs of the 30+ post blog series, Jason Mendelson and I decided to write a book about Venture Deals.
In the course of researching and writing your book – did you come across anything that surprised you?
Brad: We’ve now written four editions. The biggest surprise to me is how much of the original material holds up. Each addition adds material to the previous edition, and, while there are small changes to the older material, it’s mostly been a consistent build over time.
For budding financial writers, what is the one piece of advice would you give to those writing to educate beginners about finance?
Brad: Know what your long term goal is. Many financial books and blogs are confusing and all over the place because they are a reaction to contemporaneous information and stimuli. Things change all the time, but there are foundational components that you can build on. Find the foundation components, define a long term goal, and write around that.
What else do you have going on that you’d like our readers to know about?
Brad: Finance does not need to be an abstract, mythical, complicated subject. If you find yourself down a deep pit of complexity while reading or exploring something, pause, and try to figure out what the abstract concept is that you are chasing.
And finally, I like to ask all authors; when saving and investing your own money, what is your preferred investing style?
Brad: I have a barbell strategy. At one end is extra risk and alpha, which comes from my venture capital investing. As that generates cash, I put the cash into low-risk vehicles. Asset appreciation comes from my VC investing. Asset preservation comes from the rest.
The complete published works of Brad Feld
Brad is an active author in the start-up space, and has published several other business titles
Startup Communities: Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City
First published in 2012, Startup Communities became a blueprint for what it takes to build a supportive entrepreneurial community. Now regarded as a classic, the “Boulder Thesis” created and popularized by Feld within the book generated enormous media attention nearly a decade ago.
This book is rated 4.6 / 5.0 on Amazon.
The Startup Community Way: Evolving an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
The book offers practical advice for entrepreneurs, community builders, government officials, and other stakeholders who want to harness the power of entrepreneurship in their city. This book returns to the subject of startup clusters, first visited in Startup Communities.
Startup Boards: Getting the Most Out of Your Board of Directors
Engaging and informative, Startup Boards is a practical guide to one of the most important pieces of the startup puzzle: the dynamics of a startup’s board of directors.
Rated an impressive 4.7 / 5.0 on Amazon.
Startup Life: Surviving and Thriving in a Relationship with an Entrepreneur
Startup Life is a well-rounded guide that has the insights and advice you need to succeed in both your personal and business life.
Do More Faster: Techstars Lessons to Accelerate Your Startup
David Cohen and Brad Feld, leading advocates for entrepreneurs and startups, team up to provide first-time entrepreneurs with the tools, insights, and experiences to help them do more faster.
Startup Opportunities: Know When to Quit Your Day Job
In this book, accomplished venture capitalists share their insight on startups and entrepreneurs: who will fail, who will succeed and why, and what you should do to give your business the very best shot at becoming a global success story.
