Sanjeev Aggarwal (Author)
Sanjeev Aggarwal is a lifecycle investor. He has seen the entire start-finish spectrum of multiple start-ups, from the ambiguities of their early years to the structural challenges of their growth years. He has spent three decades in the Indian technology sector. At the turn of the century, Sanjeev co-founded Daksh, a pioneer in BPO industry. Daksh was acquired by IBM in 2004 but Sanjeev continued to be the company's CEO till 2006. During this six year period, company grew to 20,000 people. In 2006, he co-founded Helion. It was the beginning of tech investing in India and Helion helped in creating a 'startup' ecosystem. In 2017, he co-founded Fundamentum with Nandan Nilekani, with a view to leverage his experience as an entrepreneur and investor to help build lasting institutions.
T.N. Hari (Author)
T.N. Hari is an angel investor, advisor and sounding board to numerous young entrepreneurs and startups. Hari has studied at IIT and IIM, and worked at an executive level with multiple start-ups/scale-ups. His strength and passion are in scaling organizations through clear thinking and relentless execution. LinkedIn identified him as one of the top voices in India for three years in a row (2016, 2017, and 2018). Hari is a prolific writer, and has co-authored four books before this one, most recently Saying No to Jugaad: The Making of Bigbasket.
The journey of a business-from a small start-up to a large company ready for an initial public offering (IPO)-is fraught with pitfalls and landmines. To scale a company, one needs to do more than just expand distribution and ramp up revenue. Scale entails a long-term vision that includes putting in place a timeline to achieve anticipated milestones, hiring and managing the right talent, sourcing capital to support expansion and building in simple yet effective processes as well as technology. Scaling requires the founders and the leadership team to understand the different pieces of the puzzle of scale and the components of organization-building.
From Pony to Unicorn lucidly describes the X-to-10X journey that every start-up aspiring to become a unicorn has to go through. The book effortlessly narrates the fundamental principles behind scaling. Peppered with anecdotes, insights and practical wisdom, the book is a treasure trove of lessons derived from the authors' rich personal experiences in both building and guiding several start-ups that went on to attain the 'unicorn' status and became public-listed companies. Guaranteed to make for a very interesting read, the book will be useful to entrepreneurs, leaders and investors involved in scaling start-ups.
Blitzscaling a start-up to a [sustainable] unicorn is a feat that very few have managed for good reason-it's like riding the proverbial tiger.
From Pony to Unicorn is an engaging book filled with real-life stories that will be valuable to every entrepreneur who hopes to successfully do this.
From Pony to Unicorn is a collection of insights on different aspects of scaling based on real-life experiences. Sanjeev and Hari have been through this journey multiple times and they have shared stories based on their own experiences as well as those of other entrepreneurs. This is a must-read for anyone trying to build and scale a business sustainably.
From Pony to Unicorn is a fascinating read about a playbook for sustainable growth for any start-up. Hari and Sanjeev draw striking parallels between religion, science, humans and start-ups to chronicle the journey of scale. An insightful and important read for anyone thinking of resetting their business, or life!The book illustrates the different components of scale, and the levers available to founders, with real examples and stories. Sanjeev and Hari have seen, from close quarters, several start-ups scale to become large companies. I would recommend the book as a must-read for entrepreneurs and investors.There is a lot of wisdom in this book that comes from being practitioners. A great book not just for founders and entrepreneurs but also for leaders in general.Hari and Sanjeev have crunched multiple decades of experience, learning and insights into a book that can act as a ready reckoner for all entrepreneurs. I wish I had access to this book during my scaling days! The book is a must-read for all the founders and leadership teams of start-ups who are on their scaling journey.The book brings out powerful insights on the principles behind scaling. Sanjeev and Hari have been through this journey several times. The Indian start-up and business ecosystem needed a book like this that brings out insights through real-life experiences, anecdotes and events that shaped the scale journeys of start-ups. I would recommend this as a must-read for anyone involved in scaling a start-up.
From Pony to Unicorn is a book about the x to 10x journey. Hari and Sanjeev have been through this journey several times. The book lucidly brings out the principles behind scaling. The book is easy to read, and full of real-life anecdotes and insights. I would recommend this as a must-read for every entrepreneur, leader and investor involved in scaling a start-up.The book targets the heart of why India is poor; we have too many enterprises that are dwarfs, not babies. It wonderfully unpacks the difference between a recipe and list of ingredients for enterprises that scale. Every entrepreneur needs a hearing aid, and this book is important reading for anybody who wants to create India calibration scale.I have had the good fortune of seeing Daksh as well as Bigbasket scale and experience their 'scale' mindset. This book is a treasure trove of lessons and case studies of that mindset by two successful business leaders.
From Pony to Unicorn is a masterclass in entrepreneurship.'
From Pony to Unicorn is a delightful book on the 1-10 journey of a start-up, and Hari and Sanjeev bring a deep understanding of scaling start-ups, having gone through this journey themselves several times over. The insights are powerful and the book is a great guide for any entrepreneur or leader who is involved in scaling their start-up. recommend this strongly!
From Pony to Unicorn is a book about the journey of a start-up after the product-market fit has been established. The book lucidly brings out the principles behind scaling. Sanjeev and Hari have been through this journey several times and it reflects in the real life anecdotes and insights. I would recommend this as a must-read for every entrepreneur, leader and investor involved in scaling a start-up.The book illustrates the different elements of scaling at start-ups and draws parallels from other walks of life too. Sanjeev and Hari have identified the different levers available to founders and illustrated these with real examples and stories. It is a good read for all entrepreneurs, investors and leaders at start-ups.
