Capital Instinct: Life As an Entrepreneur, Financier, and Athlete - Hardcover

For over three decades, Thomas W. Weisel has been one of the leading figures of the financial scene that blossomed along with Silicon Valley, becoming an integral part of its phenomenal success. Many pioneers have contributed to the changing nature of U.S. business, but only a few have emerged as real leaders in American entrepreneurialism. Thom Weisel is one of those leaders.

His passions extend beyond business. Deeply competitive, he remained a top athlete well into his fifties, helped revive U.S. Olympic skiing and U.S. cycling, and created the world-class cycling team (led by his good friend Lance Armstrong) that has won the famed Tour de France four times in a row-and counting. He's also a renowned art collector and has contributed significantly to the world of politics, not just with money but with his classic blend of personal involvement and energy.

In Capital Instincts: Life As an Entrepreneur, Financier, and Athlete, you'll follow Thom Weisel from his youth as an extraordinarily talented athlete from Milwaukee, to his present position as one of the most influential investment bankers of our time. He rejected the New York financial scene in 1969 to join the entrepreneurs of Silicon Valley, taking public such companies as Amgen, Micron Technology, Siebel Systems, and Yahoo! He may be one of the last of a generation of influential financial entrepreneurs in a world now dominated by giant conglomerates.

A controversial figure, Weisel took over control of Montgomery Securities in a power struggle that solidified his reputation as a no-holds-barred businessman decades ago. Through accounts from colleagues, competitors, and Weisel himself, you'll learn how he built Montgomery to a position of prominence, selling the firm to NationsBank in 1998 for $1.3 billion-probably the biggest mistake of his career.

In 1998, Weisel walked out of NationsBank-now called Bank of America after its acquisition of the San Francisco bank-after a dispute over control. He took key partners and hundreds of millions of dollars with him to start over again at the age of 58. His new company, Thomas Weisel Partners, reached nearly half a billion dollars in revenues in two years, one of the fastest growing companies in history. The firm was then battered by recession, the death of the dot-com industry, and an industry wracked by scandal. But Weisel's rapid restructuring of his firm, told even as it happens, is a powerful lesson in business crisis management.

A mix of intellectual might, passion, and powerful egos, Capital Instincts distills Thomas Weisel's approach to success throughout his life. Weisel himself adds commentaries on the U.S. economy, the future of the stock market, and the current crisis in the industry. Capital Instincts is an extraordinary tale of life, business, and sports from one of the most impressive leaders of our age.

Praise for CAPITAL INSTINCTS

"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."
-Byron R. Wien
Managing Director
Morgan Stanley

"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."
-Michael J. Boskin
T.M. Friedman Professor of Economics and Hoover Institution Senior Fellow
Stanford University

"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."
-Harvey W. Schiller
President & CEO US Operations
Assante Corp