Last month, we asked European VCs what they were trading when they weren't reviewing pitch decks. This time, we turned to startup founders.
From startup classics such as Peter Thiel's Zero to One to books on Stoic philosophy and podcasts featuring deep conversations with entrepreneurs — these recommendations will help you to find inspiration, gain fresh perspective, and occasionally disconnect from the fast-paced tech world.
Here is what European founders are reading and listening to lately — plus a few recommendations from the Vestbee team.
Nicola Gunby, co-founder and CMO at CLIQ
Books:
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- Manifest by Roxie Nafousi
- F*ck being Humble by Stefanie Sword-Williams
Podcasts:
- Working hard, Hardly working by Grace Beverley
- Ladies Who Launch by Rochelle Humes
- Hot Smart Rich by Maggie Sellers
As a founder, it's really easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and to lose inspiration, so I am always making sure that I am listening to or reading something that will inspire me. My favourite thing to do whilst on the move or on the tube is to put on a podcast interview with a female founder, and it always reminds me why I am doing what I am doing!
Ewa Lenart, founder and CEO of Howie
Books: anything by Annie Ernaux and bell hooks
Podcasts: Grace Beverley and Emma Grede
What connects all of these is that they are created by women from different generations, cultures, and backgrounds. Especially during the summer, I like to slow down and spend time understanding myself better, my motivations, values, and curiosity. I think that self-awareness is one of the biggest drivers of entrepreneurship. Annie Ernaux's writing and Grace Beverley's podcast are wonderful examples of women exploring ambition, identity, and life from very different generational perspectives, and I always come away with a fresh way of looking at the world. I also enjoy being forcefully disconnected from the fast-paced business and tech world; it brings a much-needed counterbalance to my creativity and ambition.
Givi Beridze, co-founder and CEO of KLIPY
Books: my favorite ones are Lean Startup by Eric Ries and Zero to One by Peter Thiel
Podcasts: I have a lot of favorite podcasts about startups, such as YC Podcasts, Crucible Moments Podcast by Sequoia Capital, and Acquired.
Dusan Komar, founder and CEO of Ominimo
Books: I'm personally a big fan of Roman philosophy, especially Stoicism. Seneca's Letters from a Stoic and Marcus Aurelius' Meditations would be top of my list
Konrad Koncerewicz, Head of Startups and VC at Vestbee
Books:
- Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order by Ray Dalio
Dalio goes through 500 years of rising and falling empires — Dutch, British, American — and shows the same cycle repeating: debt piles up, money gets printed, internal conflict grows, a new power takes over. His point is that we’re living through a stage of this cycle that nobody alive has experienced, but history has seen it many times.
- Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
Krakauer was on Everest in 1996 when a storm killed eight climbers in a single day. This is his first-hand account of that disaster. But what stayed with me is how well he answers the question everyone asks about Everest: why would anyone pay a fortune, ignore their family’s worries, and risk their life for a summit?
- The Power Law by Sebastian Mallaby
Mallaby tells the history of venture capital from its beginnings to today, mostly through people and deals rather than theory: how funds were structured, how investors worked with founders, what worked and what blew up. It reads like a story, not a textbook, and it’s honest about the industry’s failures, not just its wins.
Podcasts:
- 20VC podcast
- Think Fast Talk Smart
- Economist Podcasts
