The Underdog Founder: How to Go From Unseen to Unstoppable

Book Synopsis: “Brutally candid...the most powerful book I’ve read on how to succeed as an underrepresented founder.” — MICHAEL SEIBEL, Y COMBINATOR
The Underdog Founder shares Edrizio De La Cruz’s improbable odyssey from selling guavas in a Dominican barrio to co-founding his startup, Arcus, in Silicon Valley. Arcus was recognized by Forbes as one of the most successful startups of 2021 and was later sold to Mastercard.

This no-nonsense playbook is for the entrepreneurial dark horse, a memoir and business narrative that presents seven key principles to rise above racism, poverty, imposter syndrome, and every imaginable and unimaginable startup obstacle.

The Underdog Founder is the inspirational and practical guide needed to transform obstacles into opportunities and manifest the life you’ve dreamed of—a life that goes against all odds.

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PRAISE FOR THE UNDERDOG FOUNDER
“An exhilarating memoir, candid, unsentimental and brilliantly courageous, an indelible portrait of the American dream and the American nightmare.” — JUNOT DÍAZ, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR & WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE

“Edrizio blazed new trails as an entrepreneur himself and has now written the roadmap that founders of color need to guide their own journeys.” — JOHN RICE, CEO & FOUNDER OF MANAGEMENT LEADERSHIP FOR TOMORROW

“A very unique blend of painfully honest memoir and practical how-to guide on turning your disadvantages into advantages as an entrepreneur.” — GABY NATALE, THREE-TIME EMMY AWARD WINNER & AUTHOR OF THE VIRTUOUS CIRCLE

“Prosperity and the ability to create new businesses is the cornerstone to a more fair economy and society. Edrizio’s story is an important one because we believe and want to build a better world through tech that is a big tent, where every person, no matter their background, can and will find a path to success.” — GARRY TAN, PRESIDENT AT Y COMBINATOR

“A deeply authentic account of the distance an outsider must travel to succeed as a founder in tech, filled with the hard-won wisdom of self-discovery and offering practical guidance for entrepreneurs.” — MITCH KAPOR, FOUNDING PARTNER, KAPOR CAPITAL

This is one of the best startup books for CEOs and aspiring founders who want to learn:
How to manage the entrepreneur psychology
The unwritten rules of entrepreneurship for people of color
How to build a startup roadmap and how to pivot
The unwritten rules of starting a business
About a non-nonsense entrepreneurship memoir
How to, and not to raise venture capital