"Brilliant, Crazy, Cocky is the story about that top 1% of people whom Lacy calls "true entrepreneurs", and upon whom she has bestowed the title of Outside Entrepreneurs. This group is a complex, cultural mash-up, comprised in part of those 19th century, old-world immigrants who started fledgling businesses because they had no other options, as well as the 21st century Silicon Valley whiz kids backed by millions in sophisticated investor cash. They are a product of their own cultures and our own turbulent economic times. Outside Entrepreneurs are those who are taking local turmoil and turning it into opportunities--earning billions in U.S. cash. To tell this story, Lacy spends six weeks in six different cities around the world -- London, England; Tel Aviv, Israel; Kigali, Rwanda; Mumbai, India; Beijing, China and Guadalajara, Mexico -- that are standing on the brink of economic and political opportunity and volatility. The individuals that she follows are distinct products of their own cultures, yet they share that same unmistakable cocktail of delusion, ambition, and brilliance that's driven Bill Gates, Fred Smith, Donald Trump, and every other iconic American entrepreneur of the last few decades."--

Private enterprises are essential to a nation's economy and society - yet without finance, or risk capital, they may never get off the ground. Lack of risk capital on suitable terms thus frustrates entrepreneurial ambition, and checks economic growth. And, just as damaging, the search for finance can lead companies and businesses into unsuitable funding arrangements - such as bank loans or equity deals with external investors - that burden them with excessive debt or limit the ability of managers to run the business