15 Books For Startup Enthusiasts

At Startup Search, we love reading books as a resource for interview preparation or simply to learn more about the world of startups and tech. We reached out to our own pool of experts as well as a few founders and innovators we admire across product, engineering, venture, and startups, to curate our list of 15 must-read books.

Startups

Turning your great idea into a business is the name of the game here, but not every startup becomes the next Facebook or Uber. These books give an insider perspective into Silicon Valley culture, the highs and lows of success, and what it takes to grow a billion-dollar company from scratch.

• Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
• Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
• Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel with Blake Masters

Product

The design, development, and sale of the product is key to the success of every company, whether the product is a physical piece of tech, an app, or a service. These books can help someone with a great idea or a company with a fully developed product gain the skills and insight needed to turn struggle into success.

• Inspired by Marty Cagan
• Escaping the Build Trap by Melissa Perri
• Good Strategy, Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters by Richard Rumelt
• Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal with Ryan Hoover

Engineering

Books about programming can seem impenetrable to those outside the field, especially ones that delve into mathematical concepts with little guidance on how to get a job that lets you practice those concepts. That’s why we selected books that appeal directly to the left side of the brain while providing practical advice (and the numbers to back it up) on becoming a programmer and working in the industry.

• The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn by Richard W. Hamming
• Coders at Work by Peter Seibel
• Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs by Harold Abelson, Gerald Jay Sussman and Julie Sussman
• The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering by Frederick Brooks, Jr.

Design

The world is full of great product ideas, but they don’t become real until the designer gets their hands on it. Design can make or break the product: if users can’t comfortably use the product, they just won’t use it. These books can help designers (and anyone who works with designers) find the best way to make their products intuitively usable by educating them on human psychology, inclusive features, accessibility, and aesthetics.

• The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman
• The Field Guide to Human-Centered Design by IDEO

Venture

• The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen
• Secrets of Sand Hill Road: Venture Capital and How to Get It by Scott Kupor

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