Rosenbaum-like book for VC/startup finance?

Hey all - I think everyone knows the great Rosenbaum book for IBD. Does anyone know if there is a similar resource for venture capital/startup funding? About cap tables, etc. Thank you in advance for any ideas.

22 Comments
 

Came here to post the same two mentioned above. Besides those, the third I might add is 'Mastering the VC Game' from Bussgang at Flybridge.

I am permanently behind on PMs, it's not personal.
 
TechBanking

This is the best one I know of:

http://www.feld.com/wp/archives/2011/07/venture-de...

Also, check out Brad Feld's other blog askthevc.com as it has a ton of great information.

I concur. Feld is a great resource. He wrote a book called "Be smarter than your venture capitalist", which basically takes all the content from his blog posts and puts it into book format. A good resource. Although it won't teach you in detail waterfall modelling taking into account multiple share classes, preferences, etc...

 

The Dark Side of Valuation by Aswath Damodaran might also be good for VC. I think he might also have a PDF of it on his website.

The hills are alive with the sound of horsepower! - Jeremy Clarkson
 

Step 1) Reverse sign on Free Cash Flow Step 2) Multiply by 100x

.... But seriously, I really don't think it would be possible to write a book on early stage valuation, as there's not enough standardization for there to be a formal process (definitely not a consistent one). Would be interested to hear if I'm wrong though

Life's is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
 

No, there is none. VC financial methods are not that standardized and change wildly over time. The best book would be Brad Feld's Venture Deals, but the "bible" on early-stage investing is just following the blogs of early stage vcs and entrepreneurs - avc, feld's, chris dixon's, etc.

 

More about identifying potential breakout. This is a combination of market sizing and assessing execution. Learning the right metrics for execution is a sector thing, thus the VC blogs. What you can learn from books is the process / term sheet piece, I wasted a lot of time puzzling out the economic implications of subscription agreements via logic before I realized everyone uses the same 20-30 constructions with different numbers.

 

Fuga sequi error dolor sunt aut provident. Consequuntur nesciunt nisi accusantium nihil cumque error molestiae. Dolores inventore animi voluptas quis eos.

Ex optio quia odit itaque error quasi. Dolores sequi architecto ducimus maxime et quo reiciendis.

Corrupti animi rerum voluptates adipisci dolor autem. In nulla omnis vel quia voluptatem incidunt ipsa. Temporibus iusto fugit sit quae.

Id iure doloremque eligendi consequatur iure. Consequatur necessitatibus a similique omnis quia sed rem voluptatibus. Ducimus ut optio nulla quibusdam. Temporibus eaque voluptatem non. Illum voluptate omnis ipsum et nobis aspernatur vel. Dicta porro porro eum veritatis fuga tempora accusamus. Sed enim eligendi in sit.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”