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The cover of The Lean Startup

The Lean Startup

Eric Ries, 2011

Learn to test a new venture's riskiest assumptions with small experiments and honest metrics, so you can tell when to change course before time and money run out.

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13 parts, about 24 minutes to read.

Why read it

  • Defines a startup as a human institution facing extreme uncertainty, and replaces forecasts with the Build Measure Learn loop
  • Shows how a minimum viable product tests the assumptions a plan depends on, and how cohort numbers guide a pivot or persevere decision
  • Explains the sticky, viral and paid engines of growth, plus small batches, the Five Whys and innovation sandboxes in large companies

Who it is for

  • Founders deciding what to build before spending their money
  • Product managers and engineers who ship features nobody uses
  • Leaders trying to start new projects inside large companies

What the summary covers

  1. Why Startups Fail2 min
  2. IMVU and the Lean Idea2 min
  3. Entrepreneurs Inside a Large Company2 min
  4. Learning That Can Be Validated3 min
  5. Experiments and Leaps of Faith2 min
  6. The Minimum Viable Product2 min
  7. Innovation Accounting2 min
  8. Pivot or Persevere2 min
  9. Small Batches2 min
  10. Engines of Growth2 min
  11. Adapting With the Five Whys1 min
  12. Innovation Inside Established Companies1 min
  13. Stop Wasting People's Time1 min

Recommended by

  • Dan HeathCoauthor of Made to Stick and Switch
    Mandatory reading for entrepreneurs... loaded with fascinating stories and practical principles
  • Randy KomisarFounding director of TiVo
    If you are an entrepreneur, read this book. If you are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur, read this book. If you are just curious about entrepreneurship, read this book
  • Tom EisenmannProfessor of Entrepreneurship, Harvard Business School
    The Lean Startup will change the way we think about entrepreneurship
  • Marc AndreessenCofounder of Andreessen Horowitz, Opsware and Netscape
    Eric Ries has created a science where previously there was only art. A must-read for every serious entrepreneur - and every manager interested in innovation
  • Mitchell KaporFounder of Lotus Development Corp
    I know of no better guide to improve the odds of a startup's success
  • Scott CookFounder and Chairman of Intuit
    This book is the guided tour of the key innovative practices used inside Google, Toyota, and Facebook, that work in any business

About the author

  • Eric RiesAmerican entrepreneur and author of The Lean Startup
    • While an undergraduate at Yale University he cofounded Catalyst Recruiting, an online forum where university students could network with potential employers.
    • The company received funding but ran out of money in the dotcom bust, an early failure before the startups described in the book.
    • In 2004 he left to cofound the social network IMVU with Will Harvey, and the product was released as a minimum viable product within six months.
    • At IMVU he served as chief technology officer, and he has advised startups, venture capital firms and large companies on business and product strategy.
    • After leaving IMVU he joined the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins as a venture advisor, then advised startups independently.
    • In 2008 he began documenting the lean startup methodology on his blog.
    • He has served as Entrepreneur in Residence at Harvard Business School, IDEO and Pivotal, and is the founder and CEO of the Long Term Stock Exchange.
    • He proposed the idea of a long term stock exchange in this book, and the Securities and Exchange Commission approved the exchange as a national securities exchange in May 2019.

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