In 1946, Doriot founded American Research and Development, the first organised venture capital fund. This has metamorphosed today to include Kleiner Perkins, which has changed the world of technology, and Blackstone, which is a modern-day hybrid of a versatile financier and a conglomerate.
The book is a great tome for anyone who is interested not just in private equity, but in the general world of investments, on innovation, on entrepreneurship, on study of great achievers, on economic history, and for anyone who needs an adrenaline rush!
Georges Doriot was a successful automotive engineer's son. He learnt his work ethic from his father, worked in the French army for a while and migrated to the US almost penniless as a young man, after his father's business adventure flirted with bankruptcy. This shaped his risk-averse business style, even though he ultimately worked in the high-risk business of venture capital. He bowed out of enrolling at MIT at the last minute and went to Harvard Business School instead
