The real story of what it takes to risk it all and go for broke. Conventional wisdom says most startups need to be in Silicon Valley, started by young engineers around a sexy new idea, and backed by VC funding. But as Mikkel Svane reveals in Startupland, the story of founding Zendesk was anything but conventional.
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR STARTUPLAND
"Mikkel Svane's Startupland is a refreshingly honest and provocative account of his journey building Zendesk, complete with the hard choices, unexpected turns, and sheer terrors involved in running a startup. Svane blends practical advice with deeply personal reflections on the company, the industry, and Silicon Valley as a whole. A must-read for aspiring entrepreneurs."
-Aaron Levie, cofounder and CEO, Box
"Mikkel Svane is a great founder who wrote a great book about some of the not-so-great moments throughout his entrepreneurial escapades. With honesty, humor, and humility, Startupland shows what it's really like."
-Paddy Cosgrave, founder, the Web Summit and F.ounders
"I read Startupland over one weekend. I laughed, I cried, and mostly I was so happy I was on the other side. Mikkel Svane knows what it's like and tells it as it is. A must-read."
-Julia Hartz, cofounder and president, Eventbrite, Inc.
"Startupland is a refreshingly honest and humble inside look from Mikkel Svane, a Silicon Valley outsider. Startup founders will want to keep it as a reference for whenever things aren't going according to plan (which is all the time)."
-Ben Chestnut, cofounder and CEO, MailChimp
"Few people have the courage to leave their country and safety, even fewer end up with any real success, and hardly anyone is willing to share the real story in an honest and humorous way. Mikkel Svane did all of that. Startupland is bound to inspire you and have great impact on your life!"
-Lars Dalgaard, general partner, Andreessen Horowitz, and founder and CEO, SuccessFactors
