Campus entrepreneurship is on the rise. This book speaks to “Generation F” – the generation of young founders – college and graduate students and young professionals who increasingly are pursuing entrepreneurial efforts, but may be unsure of how to start. Based on interviews with over 70 young founders in the midst of running their startups and the author’s own experience, this book shares the unwritten lessons, mistakes to avoid, and the secret strategies that are the most useful to those just starting their entrepreneurial journey. Startups Demystified unmasks ideas that may be obvious to seasoned entrepreneurs and makes them explicit in order to support the innovative and deeply worthy initiatives of young people. ---- •Adopts the perspectives and concerns of new and aspiring young founders •Shares key processes and mindsets that all entrepreneurs must adopt •Written in tip form so it's quick and easy to read for busy founders •Comes with helpful headers and online and book resources •Provides concrete ideas, whether a for-profit, non-profit, or social enterprise •Features young founders in a variety of startup industries (such as healthcare, education, fashion, retail, energy, and many more) ---- "Anyone with an interest in launching a startup should read this book and will be glad they did." -- William H. Draper III, Venture Capitalist, Author of The Startup Game and Co-Chair of the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation "Hou breaks down many of the daunting tasks facing a founder into actionable steps. Chock full of tips, Startups Demystified is like having a mentor walk you through the collective wisdom of how other founders have successfully passed through the same stages." -- Ravi Belani, Managing Director, Alchemist Accelerator and Lecturer of Entrepreneurship at Stanford University "Practical and actionable advice that entrepreneurs of all kinds can use." -- Kerry Healey, President, Babson College and former Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts "Hou has taken the perspectives of new and aspiring founders and addressed their needs head on. Technological improvements have magnified the opportunities for young persons to create a wide variety of new platforms, products, and services that serve important social needs. At MIT Sloan, we encourage wholeheartedly our students to become responsible global citizens with the vision, drive, and real-world experience to contribute and generate new solutions to existing challenges. This guide unveils the startup process so enterprising young people can turn their worthwhile ideas into reality." -- David C. Schmittlein, Dean, MIT Sloan School of Management "In this highly readable handbook, Barbara Hou provides an invaluable checklist for the budding entrepreneur. Drawing on personal experience as an entrepreneur, and on her avid interest on the subject, Barbara has distilled the key questions that those who want to create a venture must answer. For those with urgency to change the world this book distills the wisdom they need to be planful in 75 simple lessons. A great read!" -- Fernando M. Reimers , Professor, Harvard University "Barbara highlights how exciting it is for my generation to watch millennials come up with innovative ideas and new ways of doing things. No longer constrained by traditional employment, entrepreneurship provides this forward-thinking generation with a realistic career option. This book helps makes that option even more possible." -- Diane Propsner, Huffington Post "An indispensable companion whether you are a for-profit, nonprofit, or social entrepreneur. We need entrepreneurs to make use of the ideas in here so society can benefit from their important and creative efforts. This book could not have come at a more propitious time." -- Tom Kosnik , Lecturer, Stanford University and Coauthor of Gear Up: Test Your Business Model Potential and Plan your Path to Success "As someone who was personally involved in a start-up college designed and delivered by a start-up educational consulting company, I can attest to the many useful tips in this book. I recommend that all entrepreneurs read this book if they are going to do a start-up venture." -- Shahid Ansari, Professor, Babson College and CEO, Babson Global "A motivating story of how a bright idea can turn into a startup business." -- Letty Calvo , Entrepreneur (Founder and CEO, Vera Mona) "A no-nonsense book that describes how the entrepreneurial process works on the day-to-day level. This will minimize surprises and prepare new innovators to take the next critical steps." -- Wingee Sin, Managing Director, State Street Global Advisors, and Coauthor of Impact With Wings: Stories to Inspire and Mobilize Women Angel Investors and Entrepreneurs Barbara Hou is the former executive co-director for Harvard Innovations and Ventures in Education (HIVE), a campus organization that supports educational entrepreneurship at Harvard Univer