Published by Hachette CenterStreet
• Winner of Axiom Book Awards
• Winner of CMI Book Awards
Make Elephants Fly is the #1 book on the process of radical innovation. It shows you exactly how the smartest brains in Silicon Valley innovate their way to market dominance.
Make Elephants Fly
Everyone needs to innovate to stay competitive. It doesn’t matter if you’re a startup founder, corporate executive, small business owner, freelancer or professional, there’s a technology out there that’s going to upend your industry. And if you aren’t able to harness it to your advantage, someone else will. Innovation is no longer an option–-it’s the price of admission into the business world.
The book is designed to help you implement the same innovation methodologies and processes as Silicon Valley’s top startups. It will teach you how successful CEOs come up with breakthrough products and services, structure their innovation teams, identify new ideas, and become the market leaders.
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Endorsements
“This is a must read for anyone who wants to imagine what it is like to have all the brains in Hoffman’s enterprise innovating while they work.”
— Tim Draper, Founder of DFJ, Forbes Midas List of Top Venture Capitalists, AlwaysOn #1 Most Networked Venture Capitalist, Worth Magazine 100 Most Powerful People in Finance
“As an experienced entrepreneur and coach of many startups, Hoffman provides a roadmap and set of tools that can help both entrepreneurs and executives master the art of innovation.”
— Gil Penchina, Partner at IDG Ventures, Most Influential Investor on AngelList, Investor in Linkedin, Paypal, Dollar Shave Club, Wealthfront & Indiegogo, former CEO of Wikia Inc. and VP at eBay
“With so much going against you as an entrepreneur, prep for the adventure by first reading Hoffman’s Make Elephants Fly to gain key insights and increase your chances of success.”
— Howard Hartenbaum, General Partner at August Capital, Forbes Midas List of Top Venture Capitalists, founding investor in Skype
“Hoffman’s Make Elephants Fly takes complicated concepts and makes them easy to use. Join the global entrepreneurial community that is changing the world using these processes and methodologies. It’s like having Hoffman whispering in your ear at critical decision moments.”
— Carol Sands, Founder of The Angels’ Forum and The Halo Fund
“Hoffman’s insights come from many years working with startups in Silicon Valley and around the world. It’s essential reading for business leaders and aspiring entrepreneurs.”
— Matthew Stepka, Angel Investor & former VP of Business Ops & Special Projects at Google
“Hoffman’s book breaks new ground, teaching entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and anyone with a business how to innovate like successful startups in Silicon Valley.”
— Jerry Kaplan, author of Artificial intelligence: What Everyone Needs To Know, Startup: A Silicon Valley Adventure, and Humans Need Not Apply, Founder of GO Corporation
“Hoffman reveals the black arts of how Silicon Valley startups innovate. An investment in this book will pay a thousand returns!”
— Andrew Romans, author of Masters of Corporate Venture Capital and The Entrepreneurial Bible to Venture Capital
“We all know that a successful startup never comes easily. However, you can easily pick up this book, learn from it, and reduce the odds of failure. Hoffman is one of the few real deals out there, who is surprisingly generous enough to share his wealth of wisdom. ”
— Rocky Chan, Partner at Mind Fund
“In an age when it’s a given that business is being disrupted by the second, Make Elephants Fly offers rare insights from a man busy launching incubators in San Francisco and China who knows the nuts of bolts of startups and entrepreneurship. Hoffman is equal parts enthusiast, realist, and visionary. Anyone who wants to look around the bend should grab his book to avoid the failures of the past and best plan how to lift-off.”
— Jon Littman, coauthor of the international bestsellers The Art of Innovation and Ten Faces of Innovation
“It’s obvious that Steve knows exactly what he writes about! He’s survived the startup battles — even the cross-border ones — and relates his solid advice for entrepreneurs from a grass-roots level.”
— Rebecca Fannin, founder of Silicon Dragon Ventures and author of Tech Titans of China
“A practical guide that’s full of information, real experience, and valuable insights. Every entrepreneur must read this book before embarking on this journey. Make Elephants Fly can save you from mistakes many have made, steer you in the right direction, and guide you on how to succeed.”
— Kim Nguyen, Berkeley Angel Network, South Bay Angels
“Finally a no-bullshit book. Hoffman’s Silicon Valley experience will give you all the necessary tools to successfully grasp the innovation mindset required to launch your startup and make it fly.”
— Guillaume de Dorlodot, Cofounder of Startup Basecamp and Nomad Pass
“Steve is a TRUE visionary Captain! As a global mentor, not only am I going to use Make Elephants Fly myself as a reference, but will ALSO suggest it to start ups as a guide”
— Hulya Koc, serial entrepreneur & angel investor
“Innovation is a must for everybody now. Hoffman’s Make Elephants Fly shows you the most effective ways to make the impossible possible.”
— Toshitada Nagumo, CEO of Fenox Venture Capital
Table of Contents
The Essence of Innovation
- Innovation Vector
- Technology Isn’t the Answer
- Inventive Ecosystems
- Watch the Waves
- Copying vs. Creating
The Entrepreneurial Approach
- Think Small
- Small Teams
- Small Budgets
- Small Time
- Small Scope
- The Big Opportunity
Startup Mindset & Methodologies
- Challenge Your Beliefs
- Nothing to Lose
- Design Innovation
- Business Model Innovation
- The Builder’s Trap
- Targeted Prototypes
The Path to Radical Innovation
- Go to the Core
- Engage Your Customers
- Observe
- Tap Your Ecosystem
- Data Doesn’t Lie
- Value Over Money
Innovating Inside Organizations
- Fear Factor
- Culture of Innovation
- What Did You Learn?
- Going Down in Flames
- Unblock the Path
- Align Motivations
Breaking Through Barriers
- Velocity & Organization
- Iteration Cycles
- Lost in the Woods
- People Power
- Think Different
- One Winner
Other Languages
Make Elephants Fly is being published by Hachette in the US, Canada, UK, Australia and all English speaking countries. It’s also being published in China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Netherlands and other countries. Languages include English, Simplified Mandarin, Traditional Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Dutch, etc.
Chinese Edition
In China, you can buy the book at 京东 JINGDONG and 当当 DANGDANG.
