Top Startup books recommended by experts

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

Table of Contents

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.

High Growth Handbook

High Growth Handbook

Every high-growth company eventually needs to tackle thet same set of challenges around organizational structure, late-stage funding and secondary stock sales, culture, internationalization, hiring executive for roles the founders don’t understand, buying other companies, and more. This is the handbook for navigating those challenges.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Zero to One

Zero to One

Doing what someone else already knows how to do takes the world from 1 to n, adding more of something familiar. But when you do something new, you go from 0 to 1. The next Bill Gates will not build an operating system. The next Larry Page or Sergey Brin won’t make a search engine. Tomorrow’s champions will not win by competing ruthlessly in today’s marketplace. They will escape competition altogether, because their businesses will be unique.

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 when companies need to innovate more than ever.

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 business that grew to thousands of customers before it was acquired.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

The $100 Startup

The $100 Startup

Chris identified 1,500 individuals who have built businesses earning $50,000 or more from a modest investment (in many cases, $100 or less), and focused on the 50 most intriguing case studies. In nearly all cases, people with no special skills discovered aspects of their personal passions that could be monetized, and were able to restructure their lives in ways that gave them greater freedom and fulfillment.

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

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

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 successful entrepreneurs and VCs. He reveals how to get noticed, perfect a pitch, and negotiate a partnership that works for everyone.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

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 successful entrepreneurs and VCs. He reveals how to get noticed, perfect a pitch, and negotiate a partnership that works for everyone.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Have any other suggestions? Add here.

Augment your Startup books

There is no better source of accountability and motivation than having a personal mentor. What used to be impossible to find is now just two clicks away! All mentors are vetted & hands-on!

Only 5 Spots Left

As a top mentor with a proven playbook, I’ve helped countless professionals worldwide pivot careers, secure promotions, and rediscover their direction, all backed by 5/5 feedback from over 20 mentees. I'm committed to providing the tools needed to find that next job and providing ways of accountability. Some of our …

$280 / month
  Chat
Regular Calls

Only 1 Spot Left

Hi, I'm Rick! With over 10 years as a Software Engineer at FAANG companies and startups, I specialize in Backend Distributed Systems and have a broad skill set in various technologies. I've also founded two startups. In the past, I mentored many engineers/non-engineers through work, volunteering, and bootcamps, focusing on …

$200 / month
  Chat
1 x Call

Only 1 Spot Left

👋 Hi there! Thanks for checking out my profile! I currently lead UX for Apple's communication apps; Messages, Facetime, Mail, Phone and Contacts. I have 15+ years of experience designing mass-scale products at Google; Gmail, Meet, Messages, and now Apple, plus a strong startup background. Why I love to mentor: …

$550 / month
  Chat
1 x Call
Tasks

Only 3 Spots Left

Hi there~ Nice to meet you! Currently a senior engineering manager at Carousell, formerly a lead engineer at Yahoo along with two startups experience even before. I am a big advocate of knowledge transfer and mentorship - a Scrum trainer (Scrum Master and Product Owner) and agile coach. I have …

$120 / month
  Chat
3 x Calls
Tasks

Only 2 Spots Left

Hi, I'm Nik, a Lead Technical Program Manager with 11 years at Mastercard, and started my career as a software developer. I’ve interviewed hundreds of candidates and received multiple offers, so I have deep insights into the hiring process and can bring some insigts to help you. If you're looking …

$100 / month
  Chat
1 x Call
Tasks

Only 1 Spot Left

Hey! 😊 I'm a product designer and I love systems and design strategy. I worked with cool brands like IBM, Lloyds Bank, The Telegraph, Google, and more, in both B2C and B2B spaces. My everyday goal is to solve tricky problems and come up with game-changing solutions for businesses and …

$80 / month
  Chat
1 x Call
Tasks

Browse all Startup mentors

Still not convinced?
Don’t just take our word for it

We’ve already delivered 1-on-1 mentorship to thousands of students, professionals, managers and executives. Even better, they’ve left an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 for our mentors.

Find a Startup mentor
  • "Naz is an amazing person and a wonderful mentor. She is supportive and knowledgeable with extensive practical experience. Having been a manager at Netflix, she also knows a ton about working with teams at scale. Highly recommended."

  • "Brandon has been supporting me with a software engineering job hunt and has provided amazing value with his industry knowledge, tips unique to my situation and support as I prepared for my interviews and applications."

  • "Sandrina helped me improve as an engineer. Looking back, I took a huge step, beyond my expectations."