90% of all startups fail. But why? For the past decade, this is a question that Tom Eisenmann has tried to answer. Focusing his research and his MBA class at Harvard University on the mistakes and missteps of entrepreneurs, for the first time, he reveals his findings, and—most importantly—how you can avoid them. Eisenmann's fascinating, often counter-intuitive, advice debunks common Silicon Valley mythology including: The False Promise: How early success, often based on extenuating factors, gives founders the misplaced confidence to expand; The False Start: That the 'fail fast' mentality of many founders can mean launching before they're ready—wasting time and money; The Audacity of Goals: Silicon Valley scoffs at moderate ambitions but the more audacious your goals, the more can go wrong. Drawing on case studies from startups around the world, in all shapes and sizes, The Fail-Safe Startup will show you how to analyse others' failure to ensure your success.