Recorded May 20, 2021.
Why do some people seem to have no problem getting investors to buy into their ideas while others face an endless stream of rejections? That’s the question at the root of entrepreneur Suneel Gupta’s new book, Backable: The Surprising Truth Behind What Makes People Take a Chance on You. In this session, Suneel talks about what he learned about launching a business based on his own journey from twice-failed entrepreneur to being named “The New Face of Innovation” by the New York Stock Exchange. He shares case studies and actionable techniques to demonstrate how to develop and pitch ideas in a way that both resonates with investors and also convinces them that you are backable. Finally, he discloses what he learned from his conversations with venture capitalists, thought leaders and innovators about the surprising characteristics and actions that enable some entrepreneurs to succeed where others fail.
Suneel currently teaches Entrepreneurship at Harvard Medical School and is the co-founder and former CEO of the mobile health company RISE, which was acquired in 2016 by One Medical for nearly $20 million dollars. Before RISE, Suneel served as Groupon’s first Vice President of Product where he helped the company grow from a million-dollar startup to billion-dollar IPO in less than a year. Suneel began his career as a speechwriter in President Clinton’s West Wing.
