Soul Venture isn't your typical business book—it's a wake-up call. In this gripping exploration, Ashwin Gulati dismantles the myths, ambitions, and raw realities that drive an entrepreneurial culture where 97% of start-ups are destined to fail. When Jensen Huang, co-founder of the $2 trillion tech giant Nvidia, admits he wouldn't go through it again, it makes you wonder: Why would you?
So why do entrepreneurs keep lining up? Why do venture capitalists continue to encourage them? What exactly isn't working?
Gulati dives into the trenches to reveal the unspoken truths behind nearly every start-up failure and the rare success. He doesn't shy away from discussing the personal tolls that entrepreneurship takes—on relationships, lifestyles, even marriages and sex lives.
Soul Venture will inspire you to consider a more authentic definition of success - the blurred lines between business and personal, and the impact on relationships, self-worth and beyond.
As a seasoned entrepreneur, executive, and start-up consultant, Gulati delivers the no-nonsense advice other business books avoid. Soul Venture provides unconventional strategies for those who dare to dream they'll be the ones to defy the odds.
Between the bottom lines and business plans, Soul Venture challenges you to ask:
- What drives your relentless pursuit of success?
- What should you do when things go sideways?
- Do you need a management consultant right now, or a shaman?
- Are you succumbing to Shark Tank Syndrome?
- When does passion become the problem?
- Are you built for what happens next?
Whether you read it as a memoir or a guidebook, Soul Venture will inspire you to consider a deeper, more authentic definition of success.
Ashwin Gulati brings a unique insider's view of the entrepreneurial journey. From a twenty-something immigrant launching his first international venture, to a seasoned executive brought in to help start-up companies take-off or land, Gulati has piloted the often-complex transitional moments for more than 100 companies in a variety of industries. After nearly three decades in the trenches, he has identified the hidden pitfalls, unspoken truths, and personal twists that ultimately determine a venture's success or failure.
In addition to these insights, Ashwin also shares the lessons from his own journey, arriving in the San Francisco Bay Area from India as a 13-year-old, pursuing his competitive fire as both a tennis player and entrepreneur, and asking the difficult questions about work/life balance and personal success.
