Details

Foreword. <p>Acknowledgments.</p> <p>Introduction.</p> <p>Never Underestimate Thom Weisel.</p> <p>Life on the Edge of a Precipice.</p> <p>Of Midget Boys and Men.</p> <p>Breaking Away.</p> <p>A Goof Place to Be.</p> <p>Passion Is Good.</p> <p>Skiing, Cycling, Selling Stocks.</p> <p>Postal Services.</p> <p>The Buildup.</p> <p>Politics and Art.</p> <p>The Big Sale.</p> <p>The Big Boom.</p> <p>Conflicted.</p> <p>The New Age and Old Age.</p> <p>Endnotes.</p> <p>Timeline.</p> <p>Index.</p>

San Francisco investment boutique Thomas Weisel Partners just offloaded another 100 employees (spurring more rumors the firm will be sold), but its 62-year-old founder is busy charging up other hills. Weisel, a renowned cyclist, has been promoting his new autobiography, <i>Capital Instincts: Life as an Entrepreneur, Financier, and Athlete</i>, and doling out the tome to clients. The book isn't exactly flying off the shelves (Amazon rank: 9,136), but it's packed with testosterone-charged tales of Weisel's athletic, business, and art-collecting exploits--including his recent $40 million sale of abstract impressionist art. Chapter 1: "Never Underestimate Thom Weisel." (<i>Fortune Magazine</i>, March 31,2003)

RICHARD L. BRANDT is one of the few journalists who has gained Weisel's trust, and has contacts deep within the worlds of finance and technology. A veteran journalist with over twenty years' experience, Brandt was formerly Editor-in-Chief of Upside magazine. Prior to joining Upside, Brandt was a senior reporter for BusinessWeek for fourteen years.<br /> THOMAS WEISEL has led his most recent firm, Thomas Weisel Partners (TWP), to the top of the investment banking world. His negotiation tactics, strong stomach for risk, and ability to ferret out influential investment trends are legendary. Weisel has expanded the firm into a multifaceted merchant bank that, in only four years of existence, has orchestrated $135 billion worth of public and private stock offerings and mergers, invests in private companies with two funds totaling $1.6 billion, manages over $5 billion worth of assets for private clients, and acts as a prime broker for many of the world's largest financial institutions.

Praise for CAPITAL INSTINCTS<br /> <br /> "Thom Weisel's career has been remarkable. In sequence he has built two successful investment banking and research firms. That would be enough, but he has also revitalized the U.S. Ski Team, backed and inspired the winning Tour de France cycling team, encouraged Lance Armstrong to become a world-class competitor again after his battle with cancer, financially and spiritually empowered the Empower America think tank, and assembled a world-class contemporary art collection. You cannot do all this without having exceptional energy, uncanny vision, outstanding leadership qualities and extraordinary intuition. This book tells Thom's story and includes some of his own insightful thought pieces. In Capital Instincts, you will learn a lot about management, motivation, leadership and the special qualities of humanity that are the substance of greatness."<br /> -Byron R. Wien<br /> Managing Director<br /> Morgan Stanley<br /> <br /> "Serial successes are rare. Those that span Silicon Valley and Wall Street, modern art, Olympic ski racing, and the Tour de France, rarer still. No, Capital Instincts: Life as an Entrepreneur, Financier, and Athlete isn't a novel. But it is a thriller. Richard Brandt isn't Robert Ludlum, but he'll have you enjoying turning pages just as much. And Thom Weisel isn't Jason Bourne, but he moves about as fast and covers more territory. A fascinating force, a remarkable blend of energy and focus, of talent and instinct for markets and people, of guts and drive, he has lit up the worlds of finance, art and sports for decades. Part biography, part business history, part Weisel's own views on subjects from management, investment banking and entrepreneurship to the Internet bubble/bust and financial future, Capital Instincts is simply riveting. More than a must read-a delightful read as well. And with Weisel going strong, I can hardly wait for the sequel."<br /> -Michael J. Boskin<br /> T.M. Friedman Professor of Economics and Hoover Institution Senior Fellow<br /> Stanford University<br /> <br /> "Thom Weisel and Richard Brandt have produced an easy reading history that should be included in every business study program. Leadership lessons in sports and finance laced with real-life experiences. I found myself remembering recent headlines as Thom tells the inside story."<br /> -Harvey W. Schiller<br /> President & CEO US Operations<br /> Assante Corp

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