

BOOK
Burn Bright, Not Out
by James Oliver, Jr. & Django De Gree, II
ABOUT THE BOOK
This isn’t just a book. It’s a lifeline.
Behind every unicorn headline and investor update is a human story that rarely gets told.
Burn Bright, Not Out shatters the silence around mental health in the startup world, where pressure masquerades as passion, and burnout is often worn like a badge of honor. This book gathers the unfiltered voices of founders and investors, past and present, who have dared to speak the truth: building something big can come at the cost of your soul if no one is watching.
Through raw, vulnerable interviews, this book uncovers the emotional toll of chasing scale in a system that rewards output over well-being, sacrifice over sanity. It's a window into what happens when the dopamine wears off, when the fundraise is over, and when the anxiety refuses to leave.
But it’s also a call to action.
Every page is a reminder that you're not alone and that asking for help doesn’t mean you're weak. It means you're human. In partnership with Focus On Words and the Kabila Founder Mental Health Fund, all net proceeds from this book go directly toward providing free therapy to founders.
Burn Bright, Not Out is for every founder who’s ever whispered, I can’t keep going like this.
It’s time to speak the truth. And it’s time to shatter the silence.
When you buy this book, you're helping the Kabila Founder Mental Health Fund (a project of Social Good Fund) provide free mental wellness resources for US-based startup founders!
This isn’t just a book. It’s a lifeline.
Behind every unicorn headline and investor update is a human story that rarely gets told.
Burn Bright, Not Out shatters the silence around mental health in the startup world, where pressure masquerades as passion, and burnout is often worn like a badge of honor. This book gathers the unfiltered voices of founders and investors, past and present, who have dared to speak the truth: building something big can come at the cost of your soul if no one is watching.
Through raw, vulnerable interviews, this book uncovers the emotional toll of chasing scale in a system that rewards output over well-being, sacrifice over sanity. It's a window into what happens when the dopamine wears off, when the fundraise is over, and when the anxiety refuses to leave.
But it’s also a call to action.
Every page is a reminder that you're not alone and that asking for help doesn’t mean you're weak. It means you're human. In partnership with Focus On Words and the Kabila Founder Mental Health Fund, all net proceeds from this book go directly toward providing free therapy to founders.
Burn Bright, Not Out is for every founder who’s ever whispered, I can’t keep going like this.
It’s time to speak the truth. And it’s time to shatter the silence.
When you buy this book, you're helping the Kabila Founder Mental Health Fund (a project of Social Good Fund) provide free mental wellness resources for US-based startup founders!
About James Oliver, Jr.

Hi, I’m James: Managing Partner of Kabila Ventures, a new venture firm coming soon, and Founder of the Kabila Founder Mental Health Fund, a non-profit, which provides free mental wellness resources for founders who want them but can’t afford them.
I’m a husband to an amazing wife, and co-founder of the world’s cutest twins.
Hi, I’m James: Managing Partner of Kabila Ventures, a new venture firm coming soon, and Founder of the Kabila Founder Mental Health Fund, a non-profit, which provides free mental wellness resources for founders who want them but can’t afford them.
I’m a husband to an amazing wife, and co-founder of the world’s cutest twins.