Creative Capital: Georges Doriot and the Birth of Venture Capital

Description

Before venture capital had a name, there was Georges Doriot. In Creative Capital, former BusinessWeek editor Spencer E. Ante tells the compelling story of the enigmatic French-born American who invented the venture capital industry — almost single-handedly.

A Harvard Business School professor and founder of the American Research and Development Corporation in 1946, Doriot bet on unproven entrepreneurs when no one else would. His philosophy was radical for its time: back creative people, not just business plans. The result helped launch the modern startup economy and made him a legend — the man often called the father of venture capital.

Ante paints a vivid portrait of a quirky, demanding visionary: a former French general who ran his classroom like a command post and his investments like acts of faith. Published by Harvard Business Press in 2008, this is essential reading for entrepreneurs, investors, and anyone curious about where Silicon Valley’s money culture really began.

Before venture capital had a name, there was Georges Doriot. In Creative Capital, former BusinessWeek editor Spencer E. Ante tells the compelling story of the enigmatic French-born American who invented the venture capital industry — almost single-handedly.

A Harvard Business School professor and founder of the American Research and Development Corporation in 1946, Doriot bet on unproven entrepreneurs when no one else would. His philosophy was radical for its time: back creative people, not just business plans. The result helped launch the modern startup economy and made him a legend — the man often called the father of venture capital.

Ante paints a vivid portrait of a quirky, demanding visionary: a former French general who ran his classroom like a command post and his investments like acts of faith. Drawing on deep research, he shows how one man’s imagination reshaped how new ideas get funded.

Published by Harvard Business Press in 2008, this is essential reading for entrepreneurs, investors, and anyone curious about where Silicon Valley’s money culture really began.