Out-Innovate: How Global Entrepreneurs--from Delhi to Detroit--Are Rewriting the Rules of Silicon Valley

Startups have changed the world, and the economic value of startups has doubled since 1992. However, our knowledge of how to build successful startups is still drawn primarily from Silicon Valley. This is changing fast, as startups are now taking root everywhere, from Delhi to Detroit to Nairobi to Sao Paulo. Venture capitalist Alexandre Lazarow shows that the frontier is a different world where startups must cope with political or economic instability and lack of infrastructure, and where there might be little or no access to angel investors, venture capitalists, or experienced employee pools. Entrepreneurs must be creators who build industries rather than disruptors, and companies must be global from birth. Out-Innovate is the new playbook for innovation, wherever it has the potential to happen.

Format: Hardback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 07 April 2020
Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press

Startups have revolutionized the world, with numerous American startups such as Tesla, Apple, and Amazon becoming household names. The economic value of startups has doubled since 1992 and is projected to double again in the next fifteen years. For decades, Silicon Valley has been the hot center of this phenomenon, but this is rapidly changing. Thanks to technology, startups are now emerging in various locations worldwide, including Delhi, Detroit, Nairobi, and Sao Paulo. Despite this globalization of startup activity, our understanding of how to build successful startups is still largely drawn from Silicon Valley.

In his insightful and instructive book, venture capitalist Alexandre Lazarow argues that the Silicon Valley gospel is due for a refresh and that this refresh comes from the frontier, the growing constellation of startup ecosystems outside of the Valley and other major economic centers that now stretches across the globe. The frontier is a truly different world, where startups often face political or economic instability, lack of infrastructure, and limited access to angel investors, venture capitalists, and experienced employee pools.

Under such conditions, entrepreneurs must be creators who build industries rather than disruptors who change them. There are few existing businesses to disrupt, so entrepreneurs must focus on building global companies from the start. Local markets are too small, so companies must prioritize resiliency and sustainability rather than unicorn-style growth at any cost.

Out-Innovate is a new playbook for innovation, wherever it has the potential. The book features rich and wide-ranging stories of frontier innovators from around the world, providing valuable insights and strategies for success in the ever-evolving business landscape.

Weight: 530g
Dimension: 163 x 243 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781633697584