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Big Billion Startup - The Untold Flipkart StoryThe definitive account of India’s biggest startup redefined e-commerce, entrepreneurship, and how we shop and live.IIT graduates Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal founded out of a Bangalore apartment what would become India’s biggest e-commerce startup. Established in October 2007, Flipkart began as an online bookstore and soon became known for its ‘customer obsession. As the startup’s reputation grew, so did its value, with venture capitalists in India and abroad lining up to invest heavily in the company that stood for bold ambition, unabashed consumerism and the virtues of technology.Investigative journalist Mihir Dalal recounts the astounding story of how the Bansals built Flipkart into a multi-billion-dollar powerhouse in the span of a few years and made internet entrepreneurship a desirable occupation. But it is also a story of big money, power and hubris, as both business and interpersonal complexities weakened the founders’ control over their creation and forced them to sell out to a retailer whose dominance they had once dreamt of emulating. Flipkart’s auction involved some of the corporate world’s biggest names, from Jeff Bezos, Satya Nadella, Sundar Pichai to Masayoshi Son and Doug McMillon, an ironic testimony to the strength of what the Bansals had forged.Based on extraordinary research, extensive interviews and deep access to key characters in the Flipkart story, Big Billion Startup is the riveting and revealing account of how Sachin and Binny Bansal built and sold India’s largest internet company.That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix by the first CEO and co-founder Marc Randolph the tradition of Phil Knight's Shoe Dog comes the incredible untold story of how Netflix went from concept to company - all revealed by co-founder and first CEO Marc Randolph."Engaging and insightful." --Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix "As the founding CEO, Marc Randolph's leadership defined the culture of Netflix and laid the groundwork for successive, global revolutions in how we make and consume entertainment." --Gina Keating, author of Netflixed: The Epic Battle for America's Eyeballs "Charming, fascinating and very funny. If you've ever wondered how to turn an idea into a global household name - or what happens when you try - Marc Randolph will demystify the world of Silicon Valley start-ups and make you laugh a lot along the way." --Decca Aitkenhead, The Sunday Times "A charming first-person account of the early days of one of the most successful tech start-ups ever. An engaging read that will engross any would-be entrepreneur." --The Washington PosthrOnce upon a time, brick-and-mortar video stores were king. Late fees were ubiquitous, video-streaming unheard of, and widespread DVD adoption seemed about as imminent as flying cars. These were the widely accepted laws of the land in 1997 when Marc Randolph had an idea. It was a simple thought - leveraging the internet to rent movies - and was just one of many more proposals, like personalised baseball bats and a shampoo delivery service, that Randolph would pitch to his business partner, Reed Hastings, on their commute to work each morning. But Hastings was intrigued, and the pair - with Hastings as the primary investor and Randolph as the CEO - founded a company. Now with over 150 million subscribers, Netflix's triumph feels inevitable, but the twenty-first century's most disruptive start-up began with few believers and calamity at every turn. From having to pitch his own mother on being an early investor to the motel conference room that served as a first office, to server crashes on launch day, to the now-infamous meeting when they pitched Blockbuster to acquire them, Marc Randolph's transformational journey exemplifies how anyone with grit, gut instincts and determination can change the world - even with the idea that many think will never work. What emerges, however, isn't just the inside story of one of the world's most iconic companies. It is full of counter-intuitive concepts and written in binge-worthy prose; it answers some of our most fundamental questions about taking that leap of faith in business or life: How do you begin? How do you weather disappointment and failure? How do you deal with success? What even is success? From idea generation to team building to know when it's time to let go, That Will Never Work is not only the ultimate follow-your-dreams parable but also one of the most dramatic and insightful entrepreneurial stories of our time. hr"Marc wastes no time cutting through the noise and identifying the truth. Every moment I have spent with Marc, whether formulated and launched on Netflix or since then, has been gratifying. Marc understands what is important, whether the product, your marketing, or your business plan. A remarkable and one-of-a-kind visionary." --Mitch Lowe, founder of RedBox and CEO of MoviePass, "An entertaining chronicle of creativity, luck, and unflagging perseverance." --KirkusNetflix co-founder and first CEO shares the behind-the-scenes origin story of the major international brand that has changed everything about how we consume TV and film. |
