So many books, so little time. Not if it’s the summer holiday season. The time you have been waiting for all year – to feed the voracious reader inside you – is finally here. And if you’re hesitant about what to choose, we’ve got your back with a list of best books for young entrepreneurs.
We reached out to young tech leaders in the ecosystem for recommendations of books that have shaped up their mindsets and skills as entrepreneurs on a quest to change the world. There’s a bit of everything:
• One to help you master the wise practice of prioritization and saying “no”;
• One to get you exploring a different way to perceive time, space, and interpersonal connections;
• One to ground you with proven tools and practices for efficiency and success.
Best books for young entrepreneurs
#1 Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, by Greg McKeown
This is a book recommended to us by Stefan Adrian Boronea, co-founder and CTO of Romanian startup Proportunity. Stefan’s career trajectory includes research on multi-agent systems, cybersecurity, and communication in social media, as well as security IT development and management at Booking. In 2016, Stefan co-founded Proportunity, a startup at the intersection of proptech and fintech, aiming to build the future of machine learning-driven real estate investment.
In a nutshell: The book proposes a framework for selecting what is essential for each of us so that we can do less, but be better, and make our highest possible contribution toward the goals and activities that matter.
“I found Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less to be an engaging and practical book for all readers who are constantly busy and finding themselves in a constant battle with prioritization.
As an entrepreneur navigating an ever changing landscape with limited resources, prioritization is key – whether it’s about your own time or that of your team.
Reading through the book feels like having a conversation with a mentor that has been through a number of similar situations, introducing the reader to a new, distilled world view dominated by a word many ambitious people find difficult to use: NO.”
#2 Quantum Psychology: Re-Thinking Time, Space & Interpersonal Connections, by Isaac R. Betanzos
This book recommendation comes from Georgi Kostadinov, Co-founder and CTO at Bulgarian startup Kelvin Health, and Head of AI at Imagga. A software engineer at heart, Georgi has built his way up to the role of CTO and Head of Artificial Intelligence at Imagga, a platform of cloud-based and on-premise APIs for automated image and video tagging. In 2020, Georgi co-founded Kelvin Health, a startup aiming to deliver the first health tech solution for preventive telemedicine at home, using AI analysis of thermal images.
In a nutshell: The book takes you on a journey around ever-relevant existential questions such as interpersonal connection, the meaning and limits of our life, our role in the world, the origin of the Universe, the extension of consciousness, and others.
“It combines human psychology and quantum physics and disrupts many aspects of life that we take for granted. Covers aspects like the meaning of life and time travel as well. Really interesting and inspiring book for any entrepreneur that wants to create a positive change in their ecosystem with their actions – our minds can do all, we just need to believe it.
Other books that have changed my way of thinking and living are Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. The desire for creativity, independence and freedom, challenging the status quo, thinking out of the box – are all core parts of both books. But they are also the core traits of being a successful entrepreneur.”
#3 The Lean Startup, by Eric Ries
This book recommendation comes from Liviu Huluta, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Romanian startup INKI.TECH. Liviu has a background in PR, marketing, and communications, working his way up to regional management positions. Since 2021, he is leading INKI.TECH, a device-as-a-service business offering all-inclusive services packages to companies and individuals wanting to rent the latest consumer electronics.
In a nutshell: Eric Ries’ classic book has fueled a whole movement around how new products are built and launched. The book brings together a series of principles to guide entrepreneurs in the quest to innovation, efficiency, and success.
“A book that has had a major influence on how I do business is a rather classical one: Eric Ries’ The Lean Startup. It was easy for me to relate to as, even as I grew up in an entrepreneurial environment, I had worked in a corporate environment for most of my career, so I was perceiving the startup world as a very risky environment.
Eric Ries defines startups as “human institutions designed to create a new product or service under conditions of extreme uncertainty”. He makes it very clear that a great idea is nothing without proper management of all stages of growth.
The book gave me the tools to practice what I call risk management within our company by developing small and very frequent experiments that we get to test with clients and partners. This ensures we progress at a very quick pace without assuming any unnecessary risks.”
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