No Red Lights: Reflections on Life, 50 Years in Venture Capital, and Never Driving Alone
Description:
As featured in The Wall Street Journal!
One of Business Insider’s “5 Best Leadership Books I Read This Year” for 2022!
A look back at entrepreneurial growth and venture capital in the last half century by one of the leading figures in the industry.
Extensive media and online coverage of the business arena, news of start-ups, mergers, and deals are familiar headlines these days. But that wasn’t always the case. The early years of venture capital were a far cry from today’s very public dealings. Alan Patricof, one of the pioneers of the venture arena, offers a behind-the-scenes look at the past fifty years of the industry. From buying stock in Apple when its market valuation was only $60 million to founding New York Magazine to investing in AOL, Audible, and more recently, Axios, his discerning approach to finding companies is almost peerless.
All of Patricof’s investments—from Xerox to Venmo—share certain qualities. Each company had sound product with wide appeal, the economics were solid, and the management team was talented and committed to seeing their visions come to fruition.
Editorial Reviews:
“Our dear friend Alan Patricof is one of the most fascinating people we know—constantly looking for new ways to learn and grow, to be ahead of the next curve, and to embark on another adventure. In No Red Lights, he shares a useful roadmap for building a life and career that is successful, interesting, and fulfilling. Like Alan himself, this wonderful book is brimming with wisdom and wit, energy and exploration, curiosity and common sense.” — President Bill Clinton and Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton
“Alan Patricof has had extraordinary success in the investment world with his innovative and forward-thinking approach. In this captivating memoir, he offers an insider’s perspective on some of the most notable business deals of the past fifty years, and gives us a look at what makes companies successful over the long-term. The book is a must read for anyone interested in the world of venture capital.” — Arianna Huffington, Founder and CEO, Thrive Global
“Alan Patricof believed in Audible when we were little more than a vision of the possible. No Red Lights is a chronicle of a ceaselessly curious investor’s singular journey through decades of innovation and a life well lived.” — Don Katz, Founder and Executive Chairman, Audible
“Alan Patricof has always been ahead of the curve. I saw that firsthand as Alan invested in America Online in its infancy, when only 3 percent of consumers were online and most people didn’t believe in the Internet’s potential—but he did. This book is packed full of riveting stories from Alan’s extraordinary life, that can help inspire and guide your life.” — Steve Case, Co-founder, AOL, CEO, Revolution
“After the first few pages, you want to put this book down and get to your dream. That’s what Alan does to you. He’s the best in the business, and his love attracts you.” — Iqram Magdon-Ismail, Co-Founder, Venmo
About the Author:
Alan Patricof is the co-founder of Primetime Partners and the co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of Greycroft LP. A longtime innovator and advocate for venture capital, Alan entered the industry in its formative days with the creation of Patricof & Co. Ventures Inc., a predecessor to Apax Partners – today, one of the world’s leading private equity firms with $50 billion under management. He stepped back from the daily administration and operational aspects of Apax Partners, LP in 2004 to concentrate on a group of small venture deals on its behalf. In 2006, he founded Greycroft, a venture capital firm, to invest in leading early and expansion stage investments in digital media. With offices in New York and Los Angeles, Greycroft is currently investing from its fifth Fund as well as its second Growth Fund and has $2B+ under management.
With a 40-plus year career in venture capital, Alan has been instrumental in growing the venture capital field from a base of high net-worth individuals to its position today with broad institutional backing, as well as playing a key role in the essential legislative initiatives that have guided its evolution. He has helped build and foster the growth of numerous major global companies, including, among others, America Online, Office Depot, Cadence Systems, Cellular Communications, Inc., Apple Computer, FORE Systems, NTL, IntraLinks, and Audible. He was also a founder and chairman of the board of New York magazine, which later acquired the Village Voice and New West magazine.
Alan is active in the New York and Washington communities. He is a board member of the Finance Committee of Northside Center for Child Development in Harlem and the Board of Overseers of Columbia School of Business and Fortune Society. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. From 1993 to 1995, he served as Chairman of the White House Conference on Small Business Commission in The Clinton Administration. In addition, he is a former board member of TechnoServe, Trickle Up Program, Global Advisory Board of Endeavor, Applied Sciences NYC Advisory Board, and the Initiative for Global Development (IGD) Leadership Council. He is currently an advisor to Disney’s Accelerator Program. From 2007 to 2012, he served two terms on the board of Millennium Challenge Corporation, having been appointed by Presidents Bush and Obama respectively. In October 2013, he was appointed as a Member of the President’s Global Development Council by Barack Obama.
