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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 Mar 05 2026
$25.20 RRP $31.50 Website price saving $6.30 (20%)

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Description

A shocking 90% of start-ups fail. If you want to be part of the elusive 10%, you need to understand what to avoid – 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

Published Mar 05 2026
Format Ebook (PDF)
Edition 1st
Extent 288
ISBN 9781399430234
Imprint Bloomsbury Business
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Bernie Bulkin

Professor Bernard J Bulkin OBE has worked in ventu…

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