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Why Start-Ups Fail

Avoiding the traps on the path to commercial success

Why Start-Ups Fail cover

Why Start-Ups Fail

Avoiding the traps on the path to commercial success

Quantity
Pre-order. Available 05 Mar 2026
$38.54 RRP $48.18 Website price saving $9.64 (20%)

Payment for this pre-order will be taken when the item becomes available

Description

A shocking 90% of start-ups fail. Many of these failures don't need to happen, but you need to understand the causes and how to avoid them – both as an entrepreneur and an investor.

From technology to the market, from leadership to money, there are numerous reasons why your start-up will fail. Professor Bernard Bulkin – who has been at both sides of the investment table – talks you through the six major reasons why start-ups don't succeed, and how to avoid them.

Instead of accepting failure as inevitable, or believing that failing is good, this book looks at the main reasons why start-ups fail and how to turn them on their head. Whether you're a founder or an investor, if you're going to put in the effort to make a company succeed, you should go in with your eyes open. Bernie's common-sense approach offers the experience of a venture capitalist who has been there and done that.

Leadership at all levels makes a difference. Using real life examples, and applying behavioural economics to venture decision-making, Why Start-Ups Fail helps readers understand what founders most often lack, and discusses the who, how and why of making a start-up succeed.

Table of Contents

Preface
Chapter 1: The horrible premise of a business based on failure
Chapter 2: The world of start-ups and their backers
Chapter 3: The first cause of failure – the technology doesn't work
Chapter 4: The second cause of failure – the market
Chapter 5: The third cause of failure – missing engineers
Chapter 6: The fourth cause of failure – leadership
Chapter 7: The fifth cause – the board fails the company
Chapter 8: The sixth cause – money or the lack of it
Chapter 9: This, that, and the other thing
Chapter 10: We can do this better
Chapter 11: Could this actually work?

Product details

Bloomsbury Academic Test
Published 05 Mar 2026
Format Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
Edition 1st
Extent 288
ISBN 9781399430210
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Bernie Bulkin

Professor Bernard J Bulkin OBE has worked in ventu…

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