Moonshots

Starred review from November 15, 2018
In this debut book, an entrepreneur views intellectual capital as securing the world's future.Jain's enthusiasm for the entrepreneurial mindset permeates a potent volume that is both a futuristic look at innovation and a recipe of sorts for success. Part One of this elegantly written treatise deeply explores in the broadest possible terms the thought process of the entrepreneur. The author makes a solid case for the entrepreneur as an imaginative visionary. Jain, a serial entrepreneur, celebrates in particular those magnates who take "moonshots," or reach for the impossible. He believes they "will emerge as leaders of the new world order," a bold if not wildly audacious prediction. Equally daring are some of Jain's educated guesses as to where entrepreneurial thinking will take readers in 30 to 50 years, examples intended to demonstrate exciting possibilities rather than accurately predict the future. The author waxes poetic about intellectual curiosity, motivation, perception, and wisdom, but none more important than imagination--all elements embodied in the moonshot entrepreneur. Parts Two and Three of the book are shorter but no less enticing. Part Two concentrates specifically on health care and education, two areas in which Jain thinks moonshots are sorely needed. Here, his pertinent illustrations are creative, stimulating, and thought-provoking; for example, his idea to "make illness 'optional' " is discussed in the context of Viome, a company he founded, which works in the microbiome space. Part Three is an exhortation for entrepreneurs to have "an openness to radical possibility" and to strive for moonshots, with some helpful advice for how to do so. "As long as you continue to learn," advises the author, "you never really fail." The "ten takeaways" offered at the end of Jain's volume--written with Schroeter (Between the Strings, 2004, etc.)-- encapsulate his thoughtful counsel. The prose conveys breathless, almost soaring optimism; the book exudes an infectious passion for the role of the disruptive entrepreneur in meeting the world's challenges. There is so much genuine wisdom in this work that it is hard not to come away impressed with the breadth and depth of Jain's insights.An exuberant, mind-expanding, and at times enthralling call for inventive entrepreneurs.

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