Anne Cocquyt

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AUTHOR BIO

In Dare To Launch, Author Anne Cocquyt shares her experience as a serial entrepreneur and pioneer in launching unique startup programs for female founders. She summarized the latest methodologies by Stanford, University of San Francisco, Berkeley, Y Combinator, IDEO and the GUILD Academy to rapidly test ideas, identify profitable target markets and launch with a winning business model. The book is filled with examples from the author’s own entrepreneurial journey across multiple industries as well as insider stories from entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and beyond.

SHORT BIO

Anne is a serial entrepreneur, investor and former corporate innovator with a passion for helping people discover their innovation mindset and launch their dream ventures.

After a career in the corporate world of IT (UK), finance (Switzerland) and digital health (US), she developed and sold startups in consumer products, pet tech, and eventually founded the GUILD (letsguild.com) in San Francisco.

The GUILD is a global community of 20k female entrepreneurs who connect and learn together. Anne pioneered a best-in-class entrepreneurship program for female founders to launch their businesses and raise funding (letsguild.com/academy).

She now lives in Oregon on a blueberry farm with her husband and son and enjoys the great outdoors and kitesurfing.

About the book

Can you short-cut a two year MBA program to launch a successful business?

This entrepreneurship guide gives you everything you need to launch: Inspirational examples from Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, fun mindset exercises, and easy-to-implement how-to templates.

“Starting a new business can feel overwhelming—but not if you have the right guide. This essential book shows you how to launch a scalable business based on the latest methodologies in Silicon Valley. You’ll learn from the success (and failure) stories of top founders and investors and save yourself years of frustration.”

- Dorie Clark, author of Entrepreneurial You and executive education faculty, Duke University Fuqua School of Business

In a world of outdated entrepreneurship books and expensive MBA programs serial entrepreneur Anne Cocquyt combines inspirational examples of todays’ entrepreneurs with practical guides you can immediately put into action.

Dare to a launch will help entrepreneurs and innovators:

Take immediate action to launch and grow your business
Introduce you to the latest steps proven to create successful businesses
Be in control of the company you want to create
Identify with relatable examples of diverse entrepreneurs and learn how you too, can de-risk your business
Understand the lingo in Silicon Valley
Decide on your funding options
Adapt your mindset to be a confident leader and dare to launch

In Dare To Launch, Author Anne Cocquyt shares her experience as a serial entrepreneur and pioneer in launching unique startup programs for female founders. She summarized the latest methodologies by Stanford, University of San Francisco, Berkeley, Y Combinator, IDEO and the GUILD Academy to rapidly test ideas, identify profitable target markets and launch with a winning business model. The book is filled with examples from the author’s own entrepreneurial journey across multiple industries as well as insider stories from entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and beyond.

“Dare to Launch is just what any prospective entrepreneur needs—a smart blend of the inspirational and practical. I met Anne a decade ago in San Francisco, watched her innovate and mentor startups, and always impressed by her rigor and dedication. She writes from down-in-the-trenches expertise, and knows which methods and strategies have a better chance of success. Still on the fence? Anne will get you to launch.”

- Jonathan Littman, best-selling coauthor with IDEO of The Ten Faces of Innovation

BOOK COVER ASSETS TO DOWNLOAD

Talking points for interviews

Your story of becoming a startup founder, angel investor, and author isn't straightforward. How did you get where you are today?

You arrived in Silicon Valley 10 years ago - what was it like and what changed?

You just published a book. Why do we need yet another entrepreneurship book?

It can be daunting and feel overwhelming to launch a business. What is your message to first-time entrepreneurs?

Venture capital funding overall has surged in recent years, but the numbers haven't leaped forward for female founders at the same pace. Why is that and what is done to change it?

Can you really short-cut a two-year MBA program to launch a successful business?

You started an 8-week entrepreneurship program called the GUILD Academy that features many prominent Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and investors. What did you learn in the 2 years running the program?

What do you think are the big opportunities this year for startups in general and for early-stage entrepreneurs in particular?

Data shows that female-only founders still only receive 2.5% of venture funding. Your book features many female-founded companies and their success stories. What's your take on the 2.5% number and will it change?

What are the most common mistakes first-time founders make?

Can you give us a sneak peek of the chapters in the book?

Where can we buy the book?

How can we connect with you?

WHat others say

“Whether you’re already an entrepreneur or thinking about becoming one, this book is for you. It includes the steps to get started, from idea and inception to funding and scaling.”

- Robin Farmanfarmaian, Professional Speaker and Healthcare Entrepreneur

“In a world of stereotypical entrepreneurship guides, this book shines with practical case studies of diverse startup founders. A must-read for corporate innovators and entrepreneurs.”

- Shannon Lucas, Co-CEO, Catalyst Constellations, best-selling co-author of Move Fast. Break Shit. Burn Out.

“Being an entrepreneur can be lonely. This book gives you access to many voices—from other entrepreneurs, advisors, investors. You realize you are not the only one facing all these struggles and doubts. Anne is your friend, your advisor, and she’ll kick your butt on your entrepreneurial journey.”

- Maaike Doyer, investor & founder Epic Angels

“Dare To Launch is relevant for entrepreneurs and angel investors alike to ask the right questions when building or investing in an early-stage business.”

- Nancy Hayes, Angel Investor in Silicon Valley

“No matter where you are in your entrepreneurial journey – trying to launch something inside your company, driven to make your side hustle into a big business, or still in the dreaming stage – you need the real-world examples and easy-to-implement steps in this book of collected wisdom.”

- Peggy Northrop, CEO, Watermark, board member and angel investor

"Dare to Launch is a must read for entrepreneurs of all ages, industries and backgrounds. It provides time-tested, easy-to-implement guidance from one of the leading educators in entrepreneurship today."

- Denise Brosseau, CEO, Thought Leadership Lab

"Everything you need to launch and fund your business”

- Nicole Quinn, General Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners

“Powerful examples and practical tips from predominantly female entrepreneurs - Refreshing!”

- Eve Rodsky, Author of New York Times Bestseller Fair Play and Find Your Unicorn Space

“Anne breaks down the complexities of launching a business into bite-sized actions and frameworks used by real world, diverse, and successful entrepreneurs. This is a must-read for any business owner starting out and looking to scale.”

- Carolyn Rodz, Founder of Hello Alice

“The hardest part about launching a new company, brand, product, or other endeavor is often simply knowing where to start. Dare to Launch makes this extremely simple…and even fun! I consider this book a must read for any aspiring entrepreneur.”

- Justin Lokitz, entrepreneur, advisor, MBA professor, and bestselling author

“DARE TO LAUNCH - Mini-MBA for First Time Entrepreneurs is an amazingly honest, refreshing, and action-focused step-by-step guide for those ready to put their dreams and grand ideas to the test and embark on successful entrepreneurial journeys."

- Julie Castro Abrams, CEO & Founder of How Women Lead

WHat's in the book

Prepare your entrepreneurial journey

THE INSPIRATION: Taking calculated risks
FIRST STEPS: Defining success and quashing perfectionism

Choose ideas with legs

YOUR IDEA: Overcoming idea paralysis with the idea decision matrix
THE PROBLEM: Falling in love with the problem
THE SOLUTION: Starting small—Solving the problem for ONE user
TALKING TO USERS: Making user interviews less daunting, more fun

Make a promise to you, your company, and your customer

MISSION: Defining your WHY and HOW
YOUR COMPETITION: Leveraging your competitor's wisdom with the competitive analysis template
YOUR PRODUCT PROMISE: Creating your Product Promise Landing Page in a weekend
BRANDING: Giving your company a soul by defining your core values

Build it and see if it works

BUILDING YOUR MVP: Mastering the must-have and nice-to-have challenge
MARKETING: Creating your first marketing campaign without overwhelm
METRICS: Finding your North Star, departing from planet Vanity
ORGANIZATION: Startup COO 101—Setting up structure and process for early-stage companies without red tape

Create value and establish who needs to join you

BUSINESS MODELS: Testing who will pay and how much with the Business Model Canvas
THE MARKET: Estimating the market size bottom up and top down
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP: Deliberately building your own brand as a founder
FINANCIALS: Better than accounting—knowing how much money will be in your bank account in a year
TEAM: Engaging the right co-founder, employees, advisors, and contractors with checklists and contract templates

Form a company and get it funded

COMPANY FORMATION: Incorporating with confidence
FUNDING: Choosing which funding option is right for you
PITCH: Creating the $500K pitch deck
DECIDING WHAT’S NEXT: Checking if your business is ready to launch

YOU Can short-cut a two year MBA program to launch a successful business.

Anne shows you in just over 200 pages!

ANNE COCQUYT

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