My Start-Up Life Ships
Over the last few years Amy and I have become close friends with Ben Casnocha. We adore the guy. Ben started his first company – Comcate – at age 14. As of today (age 19), he’s now a published author as his first book – My Start-Up Life: What a (Very) Young CEO Learned on His Journey Through Silicon Valley – is officially available.
As an early reader / reviewer of the book, I highly recommend it. The story is oriented around Ben’s experiences as a teenager trying to deal with the pressures of both teenage and adult “business / entrepreneurship” life simultaneously. He does a magnificent job of articulating the characteristics of a startup without being preachy and weaves in a number of vignettes from experienced friends and colleagues. It is simultaneously personal, educational, and emotionally deep.
If you are an aspiring (or existing) entrepreneur, My Start-Up Life is required reading. If you are a TechStars entrepreneur, Ben will be out in Boulder in June – pick up a copy so you can pepper him with questions
In addition to recommending that you buy the book right now, Ben and I are going to do a giveaway on this blog of an autographed copy of the book to the commenter who has the best haiku with the word “start-up” in it. Join in the fun – now!


everything we do
should be a startup
unless its endup
the spirit
last lifelong
let’s blog it
let’s bookmark it
the “Life of startup”
Startups are such fun
Passionate and scary
Building something great
Startup tech co now
Much work, coffee, little sleep
Sell To Yahoo! soon!
Startups bud in spring,
Which bloom bears the sweetest fruit?
Feld tends the garden…
start-up with no fund
credit card entrepreneur
how much percent now?
sweet, web 2.0
my Google focused start-up
cute bubble logo
I loved my startup
1 founder, 3 engineers
Before the suits came
Dream; then iterate.
Skirt startup loons who hoot
Macro-myopic.
whoops! I nearly DQ’d on syllables. Correction follows:
Dream; then iterate.
Skirt startup worn loons who hoot
Macro-myopic
Best,
Matt
escape through startup
code-kids-code-sleep-code-eat-code
create own cube life
So many start-ups
One designed Guitar Hero
Is that a strat-up?
Feld recommends it?
Did not he contribute too?
Start-up disclosure.
ingenious start-up
will put rats out of business
highest art upends
for entrepreneurs:
startups, like parents,
get heaps of good, bad advice.
which bits to ignore?
for investors:
pile of startup plans
first step is to throw out half…
no unlucky ones!
Our start-up speeds up
Slow down, dig deep, run harder
Earn ev’ry success!
The start-up awakes,
endless possibilities
converge into one
A revised, and hopefully better version of my earlier entry…
Start-up exciting
Passionate and scary
Building something great
One last revision (I promise); I didn’t have enough syllables in the second line.
Start-up exciting
Passionate, often scary
Building something great
another startup plan
a better mouse trap?
or a load of crap
i just couldn’t resist that one. and I want the book.
We
Here’s one I couldn’t resist sharing:
Jack Bauer start-up
damnit damnit damnit damn
it damnit damnit