Overview

The mantra of the startup world has always been ""more."" More products. More markets. More meetings. More distractions. But the founders who build unicorns? They actually do less-but they do it with laser precision. Long before he became an investor, Dr. Igor Ryabenkiy was a young founder who believed that moving fast meant doing everything at once-a pattern he saw play out in thousands of other failed startups. It wasn't until he learned to focus ruthlessly and consistently that his ventures began to thrive. Drawing on decades of experience and investments in more than ten unicorns (including Miro, Deel, Turing, and PandaDoc), Ryabenkiy pulls back the curtain on why most startups fail, why a rare few achieve outsized success, and how yours can become one of them. Inside, you'll learn: Why the ability to say no can be your biggest advantage How to protect your time, energy, and attention in the chaos of the AI era Simple tactics used by leading companies to keep teams locked on one goal How to find and refine the one idea worth pursuing Frameworks for validating your idea and building your Minimum Viable Product (MVP) quickly without wasting resources How to maintain clarity during product development, marketing, and fundraising Whether you're launching your first company, scaling your fifth, or investing in the next generation of founders, Unicorn Focus is the ultimate guide to winning big by building a business that lasts.

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Reviews

""Unicorns aren't born from a single breakthrough or a brilliant idea. They're built by founders who stay true to themselves, pivot as needed, and execute with discipline. Igor's book captures what it takes to build that kind of endurance."" -Alex Bouaziz, cofounder and CEO, Deel ""Working with Igor has always felt different because he thinks like a founder, not a financier. In an AI era where founders navigate countless options, his message is refreshingly simple: focus is one of the last unfair advantages left. This book is the operating manual for founders who want to play the long game and scale globally."" -Jonathan Siddharth, founder and CEO, Turing ""In startups, the only variable you can truly control is focus: what you direct your time, energy, and attention toward. Over time, that focus compounds-in talent, product, insight, and customer trust-to create the nonlinear results that define great companies. Few understand this fact better than Igor Ryabenkiy. In Unicorn Focus, he reveals proven methods for honing your focus into the ultimate founder superpower."" -Andrew Filev, founder, Zencoder and Wrike ""The only rules worth following in startups are simple: Solve a big problem, build reliable systems, and stay tough when it gets hard. Igor's book lays out that frame with rare clarity and practical depth."" -Dovi Frances, founding partner, Group 11 ""I've been lucky to work closely with Igor for many years and have seen unicorns grow under his wing. His advice has always been simple but hard to live by: focus beats brilliance. This book turns that philosophy into a framework-practical and painfully honest."" -Nick Davidov, cofounder and partner, DVC ""Unicorn Focus nails what most founders get wrong-not the idea, but the attention and focus. Igor doesn't just talk about focus; he gives you the frameworks to protect it in the chaos of building. Every founder who has ever felt stretched thin or overwhelmed will find something here that resets their perspective."" -David Walsh, founder and CEO, Limelight ""Nobody can hand you a formula to build a unicorn. But Igor's book gives you the principles and frameworks that dramatically improve your odds of success."" -Suman Kanuganti, cofounder and CEO, Personal AI

Author Information

Dr. Igor Ryabenkiy is a self-made serial entrepreneur, author, and venture investor who signed his first angel check in 1998. He founded AltaIR Capital in 2005 to support early-stage companies across the US, Europe, and Israel, focusing on B2B SaaS, future of work, fintech, HR tech, productivity tools, and digital health. He is an investor in more than ten unicorns, most of which were backed at seed, including Miro, Deel, Turing, OpenWeb, PandaDoc, and others. As a board member in several portfolio companies, Igor brings practical insight into scaling startups, structuring deals, and navigating the complexities of fundraising, helping founders avoid costly mistakes and build enduring businesses. Beyond investing, he actively shares his expertise with the next generation of entrepreneurs. In 2025, he launched AltaLab, an educational accelerator program that uses the frameworks and principles from his books to help founders validate ideas, build MVPs fast, and craft go-to-market strategies with precision. He is also the author of the bestselling book Adventures in Venture Capital and hosts the YouTube podcast Focus Point.

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