Committed
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ISBN: 9781738396429

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Committed

Startup Survival Tips and Uncommon Sense for First-Time Tech Founders

Eldon Sprickerhoff, cofounder of cybersecurity firm eSentire, has assembled a list of everything he didn’t know as a first-time technical startup founder before his firm rocketed to a valuation of over $1 billion, including: finding product-market fit, raising early- stage capital, competing against bigger and better-funded competitors, building resilience, pushing through failure—and dealing with success. In Committed, Sprickerhoff offers readers “survival strategies” that encourage technical founders to embrace their new title, the one that matters most: Chief Survival Officer.

Contributors

Eldon Sprickerhoff

Eldon Sprickerhoff is an acclaimed entrepreneur, advisor, mentor, investor and board member working at the intersection of information security, computer science, machine learning, SaaS, and finance. He is best known for cofounding eSentire, a leading global cybersecurity Managed Detection and Response company. He has a Bachelor of Mathematics (Major: Computer Science, Minor: Economics) from the University of Waterloo, and in 2019 was awarded their J.W. Graham Medal in Computing and Innovation for his groundbreaking and entrepreneurial achievements in cybersecurity. In 2024 he was inducted into the Waterloo Region Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. He currently works as a Strategic Advisor at Caledon Ventures.

Chapter Contributors Pages Year Price
In this preface, Ethan Smart chronicles his mentorship with Eldon Sprickerhoff during their turbulent journey of building a cybersecurity startup.
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 3 $0.30
In this prologue, Sprickerhoff traces eSentire’s journey from a small consulting practice to a 1.1 billion dollar company.
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 2 $0.20
In this chapter, Sprickerhoff examines the psychological and practical realities of surviving as a startup founder, noting that roughly ninety percent of new businesses fail within five years.
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 5 $0.50
In this chapter, Sprickerhoff outlines the ten foundational truths of startup life, drawing on his 2001 founding of information security company eSentire in New York City.
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 11 $1.10
In this chapter, Sprickerhoff examines the mental endurance required to transform a startup idea into a viable business, drawing on the founding of cybersecurity firm eSentire.
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 9 $0.90
In this chapter, Sprickerhoff examines the VUCA framework—volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity—traced to Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus in 1987, and its role in shaping …
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 3 $0.30
In this chapter, Sprickerhoff explores how empathy and perspective-taking shape startup decisions.
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 3 $0.30
In this chapter, Sprickerhoff explores how a founder’s personal reputation becomes inseparable from a startup’s identity in its earliest stages.
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 5 $0.50
In this chapter, Sprickerhoff examines how startup founders assemble, motivate, and manage their teams from inception through scaling.
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 19 $1.90
In this chapter, Sprickerhoff examines the importance of a go-to-market strategy before a startup seeks funding or launches a product.
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 3 $0.30
In this chapter, Sprickerhoff explores how a minimum viable product serves as the bridge between an idea and a market- ready offering in technology startups.
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 9 $0.90
In this chapter, Sprickerhoff examines how new ventures identify their ideal customer by establishing clear criteria before pursuing opportunities.
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 3 $0.30
In this chapter, Sprickerhoff examines the structure and purpose of advisory boards in startup contexts, contrasting them with formal boards of directors.
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 4 $0.40
In this chapter, Sprickerhoff offers a compelling look at how founders of new technology companies must personally lead early sales efforts, drawing on the experience of eSentire, a Canadian …
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 8 $0.80
In this chapter, Sprickerhoff explores how technical foundersnavigate early-stage sales, framing the process as an act of vulnerability.
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 10 $1.00
In this chapter, Sprickerhoff examines demand generation strategies for a five-stage sales funnel in the post-COVID-19 era, spanning referral networking, LinkedIn social proximity, outbound …
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 7 $0.70
In this chapter, Sprickerhoff explores how a full-time salesperson should establish and track key sales metrics.
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 4 $0.40
In this chapter, Sprickerhoff explores early-stage sales strategies, particularly in the technology and cybersecurity sectors.
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 10 $1.00
In this chapter, Sprickerhoff explores how smaller firms can outmanoeuvre larger rivals in managed information security services.
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 6 $0.60
In this chapter, Sprickerhoff outlines four routes for growing a business, with emphasis on early-stage startups.
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 5 $0.50
In this chapter, Sprickerhoff examines incubators and accelerators as gathering points for early-stage founders seeking mentorship, training, and capital.
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 5 $0.50
In this chapter, Sprickerhoff explores the funding landscape for technology startups, tracing the journey from bootstrapping through pre-seed, seed, and Series A stages.
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 27 $2.70
In this chapter, Sprickerhoff examines the process of raising venture capital, from building a pitch deck through closing a funding round.
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 11 $1.10
In this chapter, Sprickerhoff examines how a capital raise amplifies the very problems a startup hopes to resolve.
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 4 $0.40
In this chapter, Sprickerhoff examines how the shift from startup to scale-up marks a fundamental change in how a company leads, operates, and reaches customers.
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In this chapter, Sprickerhoff examines the mental health challenges and resilience required when a startup founder at eSentire faces crisis.
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 10 $1.00
In this chapter, Sprickerhoff examines the elusive nature of entrepreneurial success, arguing that each milestone simply raises the bar further.
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 4 $0.40
In this chapter, Sprickerhoff contrasts passive learning with active execution, drawing on Joseph Conrad, Samuel Beckett, and Shakespeare’s Hamlet to argue that reading and reflection fall …
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 2 $0.20