25 luglio 2025

6 must-read books to understand startups, venture capital, and modern leadership

6 must-read books to understand startups, venture capital, and modern leadership

Whether you're working in the startup ecosystem, involved in venture capital, or simply exploring how new ventures are built, the learning curve can be steep. Fortunately, some well-chosen books can speed things up, offer fresh perspectives, and help you make better decisions along the way.

Here’s a selection of valuable reads that explore key areas of the startup journey:

  • How venture capital works and how to navigate it;

  • What it means to lead and scale a team in fast-growing environments;

  • How to make smarter decisions in high-risk, high-reward scenarios;

  • How to work better, not just harder, rethinking productivity and company culture;

  • How the tech ecosystem has evolved, through the lens of its most influential players;

Each book offers insights that are both practical and thought-provoking, useful whether you're building, investing, or simply learning how startups grow.

1. Breaking into Venture: An Outsider Turned Venture Capitalist Shares How to Take Risks, Create Power, and Build Life-Changing Wealth

by Allison Baum Gates

Breaking into Venture

What it’s about:
A powerful guide to understanding how the venture capital industry really works, from the inside out. Allison blends personal experience with strategic insights to make VC approachable, inclusive, and purpose-driven.

Who should read it:
Early-stage founders seeking insight into how investors think, aspiring VCs, or accelerator staff looking to deepen their industry fluency.

Why read it:
It strips away the mystery of venture capital and delivers real-world tools and mental models. The book goes beyond financial strategy: it emphasizes how to build meaningful, high-impact portfolios and careers.

Find it here.

2. Burn Book: A Tech Love Story

by Kara Swisher

Burn Book

What it’s about:
A brutally honest, insider look into the rise of the U.S. tech startup ecosystem, told through the stories of its most controversial figures: Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and more. Kara Swisher’s style is direct, sharp, and rich in context.

Who should read it:
Startup founders interested in tech history and power dynamics, media professionals, and anyone navigating relationships within the tech world.

Why read it:
It teaches you how to ask better questions, challenge narratives, and observe power structures: skills essential for any founder engaging with investors, media, or big tech.

Find it here.

3. Scaling People: Tactics for Management and Company Building

by Claire Hughes Johnson

Scaling People

What it’s about:
A comprehensive, operator-driven manual on how to lead, manage, and scale teams in fast-growing startups. It’s packed with templates, systems, and real-use scenarios from the author’s time at Stripe.

Who should read it:
Startup founders, COOs, and team leads looking to professionalize how they hire, onboard, and lead people.

Why read it:
It helps you build internal systems that grow with your company: from early-stage scrappiness to post-Series A structure. A must-read for anyone moving from founder to CEO.

Find it here.

4. The Venture Mindset: How to Make Smarter Bets and Achieve Extraordinary Growth

by Ilya Strebulaev & Alex Dang

The Venture Mindset

What it’s about:
An analysis of how top investors and visionary founders make high-risk, high-reward decisions in uncertain environments. It’s a playbook for understanding calculated risk in the venture world.

Who should read it:
Both entrepreneurs and investors who want to think more like venture capitalists. Especially useful for those navigating ambiguous or high-stakes choices.

Why read it:
It arms you with frameworks for thinking about innovation, timing, and portfolio strategy. Critical skills for scaling a successful startup.

Find it here.

5. Rework: Change the Way You Work Forever

by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson

Rework

What it’s about:
A refreshing take on startup culture, productivity, and team building. This book debunks the hustle myth and offers a new vision of what it means to work smart and stay lean.

Who should read it:
Founders, indie hackers, and small team leaders looking to scale without burnout or unnecessary overhead.

Why read it:
Its actionable insights and counterintuitive wisdom will help you do more with less, and keep your sanity while building something meaningful.

Find it here.

6. Leaders Eat Last

by Simon Sinek

Leaders Eat Last

What it’s about:
An exploration of leadership rooted in trust, safety, and empathy. Sinek challenges traditional corporate hierarchies and makes a strong case for servant leadership, especially in high-pressure environments.

Who should read it:
Startup founders, team leads, or accelerator mentors working to build values-driven organizations.

Why read it:
Because culture scales from the top. This book will push you to rethink how you show up as a leader, especially when stakes are high.

Read it here.

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