eBoys
eBoys
Randall E. Stross
Bill Gurley
[The author] got sucked into writing more of a Hollywood gossip story. - Bill Gurley
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eBoys

eBoys: The First Inside Account of Venture Capitalists at Work

Randall E. Stross
By
Randall E. Stross
4.1
697
ratings on Goodreads

Dive into the heart of Silicon Valley's revolutionary fervor with "eBoys" by Randall E. Stross, a gripping account of ambition, innovation, and the audacious gamble of venture capitalism at the dawn of the internet age. Follow the journey of Benchmark, a venture capital firm whose foresight and daring investments in nascent web enterprises like eBay transformed the digital landscape forever. Stross, with unparalleled access, chronicles the adrenaline-fueled decisions, the meteoric rises, and the precarious tightrope walks that characterized the tech boom of the late '90s. Through vivid storytelling, "eBoys" encapsulates an era where the stakes were sky-high, and the digital frontier was ripe for the taking. Witness the creation of unfathomable wealth and the reshaping of global commerce through the eyes of the six towering men behind Benchmark. From the explosive growth of eBay, which saw its value skyrocket from $20 million to over $21 billion, to the high-stakes drama of backing ventures like Webvan, Stross offers a front-row seat to the frenetic world of Silicon Valley's elite. "eBoys" is not just a tale of financial triumphs; it's a nuanced exploration of the bold personalities and visionary spirit that fueled the greatest business adventure of our time. This compelling narrative, grounded in meticulous research and infused with the excitement of the era it depicts, is a must-read for anyone fascinated by the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, and the relentless pursuit of dreams.

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Released
2000
23 May
Length
352
Pages

1

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[The author] got sucked into writing more of a Hollywood gossip story. - Bill Gurley
On a daily basis the venture capitalist was not concerned with historical impact; he worked to create wealth for himself and his limited partners. However, among the Benchmark partners there was awareness that framing one’s professional raison d’être in the language of financial return meant that one was hostage to the vagaries of the market—and even when the market is buoyant, there is little that is soul-quenching about mere numbers. “The really big wins are where all the rewards come from,” Bob Kagle once pointed out, before eBay had gone public. The rewards he was referring to were the emotional ones, not the financial ones, and they were rewards derived not from a game of assuming personal risk—the venture guys had a portfolio across which risk could be spread—but from being backers of entrepreneurs, the ones who commercialized new technology and introduced new products and services—and were the ones who really took on risk. “Nine times out of ten they’re taking on some big, established system of some sort.” He dropped his voice for emphasis: If the individual entrepreneur won, even for the venture guys it produced an “exhilarating feeling”—he groped for the right words—“it’s confirmation that one person with courage can make a difference.” This was the minidrama Kagle and his colleagues had seen play out triumphantly again and again. The work itself did not have any neat demarcations of beginning, middle, and end. The funds seemed to be evergreen, fresh capital materializing as soon as the till was exhausted. The calendars of the partners, revolving as they did around looking at new business plans, meeting new entrepreneurs, considering new deals, gave a feeling of perennially beginning afresh. For them, it was the best place in the cosmos to get the first peek at the future.
— Randall E. Stross, eBoys

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