The Godfather of Silicon Valley: Ron Conway and the Fall of the Dot-coms (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Gary Rivlin tells the story of Ron Conway, the man who has placed more bets on Internet start-ups than anyone eise in Silicon Valley. Conway is a reader-friendly way into the realm of angel financing, where independently wealthy investors link up with companies just as they are being born. The Godfather of Silicon Valley takes you into this fascinating world on the edges of the financial universe, where the pace is frantic, the story lines are rich, and every moment is perilous.

From the Inside Flap

Gary Rivlin tells the story of Ron Conway, the man who has placed more bets on Internet start-ups than anyone eise in Silicon Valley. Conway is a reader-friendly way into the realm of angel financing, where independently wealthy investors link up with companies just as they are being born. The Godfather of Silicon Valley takes you into this fascinating world on the edges of the financial universe, where the pace is frantic, the story lines are rich, and every moment is perilous.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: AtRandom (September 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081299163X
• ISBN-13: 978-0812991635
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #722,879 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read!, December 18, 2001

By	P. Saffo (CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Rivlin has written a marvelous, entertaining peek into the strange alice-in-wonderland world of high tech finance. Rivlin didn't allow himself to be co-opted by his subjects and the result is a frank and honest view that will make some insiders wince, but delight anyone trying to understand what makes Silicon Valley tick.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Can't help but watch the car wreck..., December 11, 2001

By	sfguysf (SF Bay Area, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This is a fast, easy read. Perhaps it's a bit cruel to kick a man while he is down. But it sure is something to watch the action as he accelerates down the dot-com highway and then crash horribly.

Read this book, learn very little, but what's a few hours in a down economy?

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Personal invective uncalled for, November 28, 2001

By	Jamis H. Macniven (la honda, ca United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I found it reprehensible that the author (who was invited by the individual he ended up attacking) to have a look at the working of a man's business and social life, would choose to make so many irrelevant personal criticisms. His entire piece (and it is but a piece being a very small book) is suspect when he makes comments such as Mr. Conway is somehow intellectually limited because he reads only business publications and books even when he is vacation. I guess I had better hide this book in a Tom Clancy novel when I'm at the beach. His personnel attacks became much more pointed and are not worth repeating.

There probably is a sensational business story within this subject but since the story was tarted up with such cheap shots at Mr. Conway that this author's objectivity comes into in question. Perhaps Mr Rivlin would have preferred that everyone keep a low profile and just buy another beach house instead of hosting lavish parties and wantonly throwing money at children's health charities.