Top Startup books curated by experts

At MentorCruise, we are all about making the most out of the experience of others. As part of that, we have connected and asked dozens of experts and professionals about their favourite Startup books – and here are the answers.

  • Curated by industry experts
  • Proven learning resources
  • Updated annually
Top Startup books recommended by experts
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Fundamentals of Startup

Understanding the concepts of Startup starts with understanding the fundamentals. On your way to mastery, it's crucial for you to understand how certain concepts were derived, and why things work like they do. Starting with these resources is the best way to do so.

Who: The A Method for Hiring

Who: The A Method for Hiring

The four steps of the WHO method are 1) Scorecard, 2) Source/Search, 3) Interview, and 4) Grade/Select. A hiring scorecard is also called an interview scorecard. By creating a scorecard, the hiring team standardizes the hiring process so that each qualified candidate is given the same treatment.…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Running Lean

Running Lean

Running Lean is about testing a vision by measuring how customers behave. Running Lean is about engaging customers throughout the product development cycle. Running Lean tackles both product and market validation in parallel using short iterations. Running Lean is a disciplined and rigorous proc…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

The Mom Test: How to Talk to Customers and Learn If Your Business is a Good Idea when Everyone is Lying to You

The Mom Test: How to Talk to Customers and Learn If Your Business is a Good Idea when Everyone is Lying to You

The Mom Test' by Rob Fitzpatrick is a guide for entrepreneurs on how to ask questions that actually validate their business ideas without bias or false assumptions. It emphasizes on asking good questions that provide genuine data and prevent the loss of valuable resources.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

The 4-Hour Workweek

The 4-Hour Workweek

The 4-Hour Work Week is all about how to change the way readers look at how they live and work and why they should challenge old assumptions. The author writes from a unique vantage point. He created a life and a career he chose out of consistently questioning the traditional assumptions about l…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Startup CEO: A Field Guide to Scaling Up Your Business (Techstars)

Startup CEO: A Field Guide to Scaling Up Your Business (Techstars)

"Startup CEO is the definitive book for any CEO―first time or otherwise―of a high-growth company. While dozens of books have been written about starting businesses, it's time for entrepreneurs to focus on scaling them. Matt shows them how."

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Contagious: How to Build Word of Mouth in the Digital Age

Contagious: How to Build Word of Mouth in the Digital Age

“Contagious: How to Build Word of Mouth in the Digital Age” offers a deep dive into the mechanics of virality. Jonah Berger's STEPPS framework (Social Currency, Triggers, Emotion, Public, Practical Value, Stories) provides a clear roadmap for anyone looking to boost their product or idea's word-…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Additional Startup Reading

These books are not required for you to learn Startup, but they are highly recommended for you to deepen your knowledge.

Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products

Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products

Why do some products capture widespread attention while others flop? What makes us engage with certain products out of sheer habit? Is there a pattern underlying how technologies hook us? Nir Eyal answers these questions (and many more) by explaining the Hook Model—a four-step process embedded i…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Never Enough: From Barista to Billionaire

Never Enough: From Barista to Billionaire

Once a barista in a small cafe making $6.50 an hour, Andrew Wilkinson built a business valued at over a billion dollars by the time he was 36—and yet, his path to success was anything but a straight line.
In Never Enough, Wilkinson pulls back the curtain on the lives of the ultra-rich, sharin…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Dotcom Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Growing Your Company Online with Sales Funnels

Dotcom Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Growing Your Company Online with Sales Funnels

Written by ClickFunnels founder Russell Brunson, Dotcom Secrets delves into the concept of marketing from A to Z and teaches marketers worldwide how to build effective campaigns, grab the user's attention and deliver relevant results for them in the buying process, all through the sales funnel a…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days

Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days

Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days is a collection of interviews with founders of famous technology companies about what happened in the very earliest days. These people are celebrities now. What was it like when they were just a couple friends with an idea?

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Zero to Sold

Zero to Sold

It's easy to build software products. The hard part is turning them into viable businesses that stand the test of time. If you want to build a business that survives, you have to know what challenges you will encounter. Zero to Sold tells the story of a sustainable, bootstrapped software busines…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

The Lean Startup

The Lean Startup

Rather than wasting time creating elaborate business plans, The Lean Startup offers entrepreneurs—in companies of all sizes—a way to test their vision continuously, to adapt and adjust before it’s too late. Ries provides a scientific approach to creating and managing successful startups in a age…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Specializations and Deeper Startup Knowledge

You've got your basics in order – time to move on to some advanced and specialized concepts. Startup is evolving every day, these books can help you master it.

Mastering the VC Game: A Venture Capital Insider Reveals How to Get from Start-up to IPO on Your Terms

Mastering the VC Game: A Venture Capital Insider Reveals How to Get from Start-up to IPO on Your Terms

Jeffrey Bussgang is one of a very few people who have played on both sides of this high-stakes game. Now he draws on his unique perspective to offer high-level insights, colorful stories, and practical advice gathered from his own experience as well as from interviews with dozens of the most suc…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Mastering the VC Game

Mastering the VC Game

Jeffrey Bussgang is one of a very few people who have played on both sides of this high-stakes game. Now he draws on his unique perspective to offer high-level insights, colorful stories, and practical advice gathered from his own experience as well as from interviews with dozens of the most suc…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Unlock AI Mastery: Secrets to Accelerate Business Growth and Dominate Competitors with Proven AI Strategies

Unlock AI Mastery: Secrets to Accelerate Business Growth and Dominate Competitors with Proven AI Strategies

In today's fast-paced digital landscape, artificial intelligence (AI) is not just a tool—it's a game-changer. Unlock AI Mastery demystifies AI and reveals practical strategies for leveraging its transformative power to revolutionize your business. Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or just s…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

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