The Science of Growth

February 22, 2016
Ammirati, a partner at venture capital firm Birchmere Ventures, examines why some companies stall out while others scale up. He presents a cogent, thoughtful investigation of how Facebook beat Friendster, YouTube beat Revver, and a host of companies came out ahead of their superficially similar competition. In an era of globalization and growing emphasis on entrepreneurship, more and more budding business owners will need a toolbox for success, which Ammirati provides. He lists prerequisites for competing effectively, which include a well-defined vision, a scalable idea, the solution to a real problem, and an “excellent first interaction” between the world and your product. He also debunks common misconceptions about what companies need to survive. Readers trying to decide how to grow a new venture will appreciate the helpful discussions of such topics as scaling your business, acquiring and converting customers, understanding the algorithms behind online rankings, and motivating your workforce. This insightful guide will help readers find much-needed direction and inspiration.

April 1, 2016
So you've started a business, now what? Ammirati seeks to answer this question in this sequel of sorts to the standard texts on the science of startups. In response, Ammirati offers a science of growtha guide on how to scale your business once it's successfully established. Why did Facebook beat Friendster? How did Tesla outdo Fisker? Why does McDonald's boast over 35,000 locations worldwide, when White Castle has fewer than 500? Ammirati examines 26 well-known companies to discover what separates the success stories from the failures. He draws examples from diverse industries and isolates several variables: prerequisites for growth, catalysts for growth, and foundational elements to sustain it. An authority in the field of the startup economy, Ammirati teaches the subject at Carnegie Mellon and heads of the country's most successful startup incubators, and it shows in the way his book is thoroughly researched. It's also accessible, easy to read, and eye-opening. This is a necessary and welcome addition to the business canon.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)