ThinkApps Book: How to Start a Startup

A bad idea is still bad. Great execution toward a terrible idea will get you nowhere.

Sam Altman

President, Y Combinator

What happens too often when I see companies [pitching investors] is that they don't know how to simply explain what they do or how to ask for money. That's basically what you have to do as a founder.

Michael Seibel

Co-Founder and CEO, Socialcam

We couldn't stop working on it and literally the idea was beating itself out of our chests and forcing itself out into the world. And I think that's really the feeling you should be looking for when you start a company, that's how you know you have the right idea.

Dustin Moskovitz

Co-Founder, Facebook and Asana

It’s the intersection of engineering meets beauty. The whole point is to help people have a better life with technology.

Hosain Rahman

Founder and CEO, Jawbone

Starting a successful startup is similar to having kids; it's like a button you press and it changes your life irrevocably.

Paul Graham

Co-Founder, Y Combinator

If you remember nothing else, do not go to Vegas on investors’ money. Spend that money wisely.

Kirsty Nathoo

CFO and Partner, Y Combinator

You're always better off making your business better than you are making your pitch better.

Marc Andreessen

Co-Founder, Netscape and Andreessen Horowitz

Getting press is like a vanity metric. It feels like you’re being successful ... but it doesn’t actually mean you’re making money, getting users, or making those users happy.

Justin Kan

Founder, Justin.TV and Twitch

The most important thing that you can learn, and one of the hardest things to do, is you have to discipline yourself, to see your company through the eyes of the employees, through the eyes of your partners, through the eyes of the people you are not talking to and who are not in the room.

Ben Horowitz

Co-Founder, Netscape and Andreessen Horowitz

Ideas are obviously very important but they have zero value...Value is created when the whole founder team works together to execute on an idea.

Carolynn Levy

General Counsel and Partner, Y Combinator

Don't always go through the tiny little door that everyone's trying to rush through, maybe go around the corner and go through the vast gate that nobody is taking.

Peter Thiel

Co-Founder, PayPal and Founders Fund

Every industry is going to have a technology component of what they do. Enterprises are not going to be able to survive in the future if they do not get good at technology.

Aaron Levie

Co-Founder and CEO, Box

Procrastination is the devil in startups. So no matter what you do, you got to keep that ship moving...Once you have a great product, then it's all about execution and building a great team.

Ron Conway

Founder, SV Angel

When we first hired people...I looked for people who worked hard, had high integrity, and a low ego. I looked for people who were creative, super curious, which meant they had all of these interests.

Ben Silbermann

Co-Founder and CEO, Pinterest

Competitive differentiation and competitive edge are super important, but they're not actually functions of genius.

Reid Hoffman

Co-Founder, LinkedIn

The ultimate reference book on creating a successful startup

Paul Graham

Aaron Levie

Ben Horowitz

The Silicon Valley Playbook for Startup Founders

Featuring advice from founders and executives at companies like these:

What's inside

A bad idea is still bad. Great execution toward a terrible idea will get you nowhere.

Sam Altman

What happens too often when I see companies [pitching investors] is that they don't know how to simply explain what they do or how to ask for money. That's basically what you have to do as a founder.

Michael Seibel

We couldn't stop working on it and literally the idea was beating itself out of our chests and forcing itself out into the world. And I think that's really the feeling you should be looking for when you start a company, that's how you know you have the right idea.

Dustin Moskovitz

It’s the intersection of engineering meets beauty. The whole point is to help people have a better life with technology.

Hosain Rahman

Starting a successful startup is similar to having kids; it's like a button you press and it changes your life irrevocably.

Paul Graham

If you remember nothing else, do not go to Vegas on investors’ money. Spend that money wisely.

Kirsty Nathoo

You're always better off making your business better than you are making your pitch better.

Marc Andreessen

Getting press is like a vanity metric. It feels like you’re being successful ... but it doesn’t actually mean you’re making money, getting users, or making those users happy.

Justin Kan

The most important thing that you can learn, and one of the hardest things to do, is you have to discipline yourself, to see your company through the eyes of the employees, through the eyes of your partners, through the eyes of the people you are not talking to and who are not in the room.

Ben Horowitz

Ideas are obviously very important but they have zero value...Value is created when the whole founder team works together to execute on an idea.

Carolynn Levy

Don't always go through the tiny little door that everyone's trying to rush through, maybe go around the corner and go through the vast gate that nobody is taking.

Peter Thiel

Every industry is going to have a technology component of what they do. Enterprises are not going to be able to survive in the future if they do not get good at technology.

Aaron Levie

Procrastination is the devil in startups. So no matter what you do, you got to keep that ship moving...Once you have a great product, then it's all about execution and building a great team.

Ron Conway

When we first hired people...I looked for people who worked hard, had high integrity, and a low ego. I looked for people who were creative, super curious, which meant they had all of these interests.

Ben Silbermann

Competitive differentiation and competitive edge are super important, but they're not actually functions of genius.

Reid Hoffman

Sam Altman

Michael Seibel

Dustin Moskovitz

Hosain Rahman

Paul Graham

Kirsty Nathoo

Marc Andreessen

Justin Kan

Ben Horowitz

Carolynn Levy

Peter Thiel

Aaron Levie

Ron Conway

Ben Silbermann

Reid Hoffman

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