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This article showcases our top picks for Books On Venture Capital Investing. We reached out to industry leaders and experts who have contributed the suggestions within this article (they have been credited for their contributions below).
We are keen to hear your feedback on all of our content and our comment section is a moderated space to express your thoughts and feelings related (or not) to this article This list is in no particular order.
This product was recommended by Bill Ryze from Fiona Finance
Scott was the first employee at Andreesen Horowitz, and in his book, he offers first-hand experiences for founders. There is a lot of actionable advice to help you understand venture capital and how to make decisions, helping investors and entrepreneurs learn more about VC. The book further explains the change in the venture capital landscape and how to make good investing decisions under the current landscape.
This product was recommended by Ross Kernez from SEOmeetup
Venture Deals by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson inspired me to start my own company. The book doesn’t just teach you the strategies on raising the capital for your startup, but it also teaches you when to preserve your money and collect the outsized earnings. The book also provides readers with the knowledge of the legal process and terms to help you when you’re meeting with investors.
This product was recommended by Viktor Holas from Wise Barber
If you are looking at getting involved in venture capitalism, or just interested in the subject, there is no better book on the market than Peter Thiel’s Zero to One. Venture capital investing is about choosing startups to fund for an ROI, and Mr. Thiel, as a venture capitalist himself, shares from his own experience about the uniqueness that marks a valuable startup opportunity. This book is a great read on how to build value through innovation and uniqueness, the very qualities that venture capital investors are looking for.
This product was recommended by Richard Clews from Pants And Socks
On the topic of venture capital investing, Andrew Romans’ book does a great job of covering it from many different angles. Most valuable is his analysis of the timing of funding a startup and when it holds its greatest possible ROI. This book is important for entrepreneurs as well, because it showcases what qualities venture capital investors are looking for in startups seeking investment funding. I really enjoyed the expansion beyond a typical case study presentation, as the author shares the how and the why of venture capital investment decisions.
In his book, author Tarang Shah goes over some of his personal experiences in the world of venture capitalism and shares plenty of valuable insights that include how to identify viable investments, structure profitable deals, and avoid common mistakes in the industry. It’s an excellent resource for both investors and entrepreneurs, guiding readers on how to be successful in business. However, the highlight of this book is its many interviews with successful venture capitalists from different backgrounds. The author asks each expert similar questions, offering a glimpse into how different people employ different mindsets and strategies when making decisions. It’s a great way to understand how the big players operate, which can be an excellent source of inspiration for readers to develop their own personal styles and pave their own paths to success.
This product was recommended by Matt Gillman from SMB Compass
A venture capital investment needs a lot of guidance and step-by-step planning. To cater to this, the best book is Investing with Keynes. The book is curated by the best economic mind in the world, John Maynard Keynes. The book explains his studies about investment and planning and even gives live examples to cater to many problems. The book is the best choice for people planning to start a business.
If you want to learn all about venture capitalism, then this is your book. It will show venture capitalists’ core competencies so you can pattern your growth and actions on them, as well as a brief history of venture capital. It will basically help you model yourself, your thoughts, and your actions into becoming a real-life venture capitalist. So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and grab this book!
This book will show you how to become a venture capitalist. It will teach you how to raise venture fund, properly structure your investments, and how to maximize your profit from them. This book covers all about the finances of VCs and the experiences of successful capitalists. So if you want to learn from the pros, then this is the perfect book for you to read.
This product was recommended by Rengie Wisper from Ever Wallpaper
This is a great book on Venture Capital investing because it clearly defines the difference between exponential growth, which is what we’re seeing today in technology, and linear growth, which is what we’ve seen for centuries. It’s the kind of book that will make you want to throw your hands up in the air and say What else is left?. When you read this book and understand how the world is changing at a pace that’s only accelerating, you’ll be able to identify opportunities faster than ever before.
This product was recommended by Camilla Henderson from FastdayLoans
Ben Horowitz is known across Silicon Valley for his successful tech ventures that have highly contributed to an innovative business market. He gives his history to expound on business startups, the failures and opportunities underlying the race to create a venture. Some common challenges he analysed include the process. Often, the venture capitalist is affected by whom people employ and relate with to build profits. Managing professionals is another challenge Horowitz explains can lead to either unhealthy employee competition or an inability to establish accountability across a hierarchy chain. Nevertheless, the book is also a guide to becoming a chief executive officer as a venture capitalist while reaping handsomely and creatively.
This book is a collection of stories from successful entrepreneurs who have started their own businesses. You’ll learn about the founding team of Facebook, how Google got its name, how Groupon built its brand, how Twitter grew its community, and much more.
This product was recommended by Richard J. Brandenstein from FBR Law
The main reason I would recommend this biblical text on venture capital is that Bussgang, the book’s author, is providing you with insider knowledge. This insider knowledge is so useful as someone on the other side tells you exactly the tips and tricks to get noticed, create pitches, and to have success with your investments. Not only is this full of tips but some interesting and colorful stories from the other side that provide a priceless insight into the venture capital world.
This product was recommended by David Wurst from WebCitz, LLC
I suggest this remarkable book to all entrepreneurs looking to convince people to invest their money, time, and reputation into their venture. This book provides actionable tips and useful wisdom in a data-driven and structured manner and serves its purpose to help an entrepreneur launch their dream venture.
This product was recommended by Isabella Gordan from Sleepys Express
Fadell is one of the people responsible for bringing the iPod and iPhone to the world and currently leads a successful venture capital firm. This book is his latest 5-star product and provides valuable advice on startups and how to make them successful. Fadell has lots of stories to tell, and his book offers a ton of them. Venture capitalists can learn some great lessons reading this book. My favorite quote on mentorship from this book is, A good mentor won’t hand you the answers. They’ll loan you some of their hard-fought advice so you can discover your own solution. This book contains a lifetime of wisdom and trains you to identify the next billion-dollar idea. If you want to read and learn from the tales of epic triumph and epic failure, take this book and have a read.
This product was recommended by Justin Carpenter from Modern Maids
Bad Blood by John Carreyrou is a great book for venture capital. The book is full of lessons about what can go wrong in a startup, and it is essential reading for anyone considering investing in a new company. It’s a great example of the importance of due diligence when investing. Theranos fraudulently raised millions of dollars from well-known investors because they didn’t do their homework. Investors skipped doing any real research themselves and lost a lot of money when the truth came out. Venture capitalists can have their primary lesson from here. They need to create a system where they can test the claims of startups before making investing decisions. The book is also a great reminder of the power of the media. As a venture capitalist, you can leverage this power to create hype around the startup you have invested in and open several opportunities for it.
This product was recommended by Manick Bhan from LinkGraph
This book is my all-time favorite on venture capital investing, and I have recommended it to a lot of people over the years. Angel Investing is one of those books that tempt you to put it down for a while and think of the ideas you are getting from it. Or follow up on information and dive deeper into the subject. I like that the book is geared towards those new to angel investing, as it provides a crash course on startup financing and gives many examples of different types of investments one could make. I also appreciate how the book is candid about the potential risks and rewards of angel investing, as it creates a realistic idea for the venture capitalist. Finally, the author also includes a wealth of practical tips and resources that can help venture capitalists get started in this exciting field.
This product was recommended by Ruben Gamez from SignWell
This book is one of my favorites because it focuses on using Objectives and Key Results, OKRs, to be a great leader and spot which startups are worthy of your venture capital.* Using industry giants as examples, John Doerr explains how he used his biggest investment to fund Google and guide them to success using OKRs. *These case studies can help budding venture capitalists find investments that will see explosive growth.
This product was recommended by Arthur Worsley from The Art of Living
A great book for learning capital venture investing as it will teach you how to get funding and how to manage the expectations of your investors. This is not a very expensive book, but the learnings are of high calibre. In this book, you’ll learn about market niches you can enter, product innovations, competitive markets, and so much more. It will also teach you how to make a good workflow to have that seamless business operation. Overall, this is a very good book you can learn about VCs.
This product was recommended by Shawn Laib from Clearsurance
This product is great because you can get it in a free audiobook. Getting free information on how to start investing is always better than having to pay for it; you want to save your money for investing. The book is great because it gives easy and simple to learn lessons from people who have experienced struggles with money and starting their journey in venture capital. This can range from the difference between types of investments into different types of businesses such as non-profits compared to for-profit companies. It’s always great to review a large variety of stories from different people, and this book tries to get into the minds of people who have had success.
This product was recommended by Ronald Williams from BestPeopleFinder
Until I read this book, I know nothing about Venture Capital Investing except what I learned from gossip. “The Little Book of Venture Capital Investing” written by Lou Gerken in lucid language tells all about beginners and even seasoned investors what are the basics of venture capital and what are the best strategies for making easy the processes involved. Not only does it help understand the current investing challenges, but also suggests practical solutions and that makes this book a valuable resource on the subject. In short, I would highly recommend “ The Little Book of Venture Capital Investing” because it’s a guide for beginners, a tutorial for everyone, and a reference book for experienced investors who work in the venture capital area.
7 Powers: Basic business strategy and how to apply it should be learned by every VC Analyst or Associate. This can be the difference between a company doomed to fail versus one that is a source of value. Hamilton Helmer, a well-known consultant, investor, and professor, presents a strategic framework in his book 7 Powers to assist businesses in determining where their attention should be directed. According to Helmer, there are seven powers a company can use to increase cash flow, help the company expand, and create a barrier or moat to keep out competitors.
This product was recommended by Patricia Jones from Neutypechic
This book is an excellent resource for anyone interested in venture capital investing. I found it to be very helpful in terms of understanding what different types of investors look for in businesses. It explores the various types of startups and the various ways they can be funded. The book also provides a solid overview of both traditional and newer methods of funding and gives tips on how to identify successful startups, what questions to ask when evaluating a company, and how to determine whether or not a product is likely to succeed.
