Lauren Washington
Nov 2, 20223 min
Updated: Apr 17, 2023
The holidays are upon us again and the best gift is often knowledge. We've compiled this list of books for the investor in your life, whether they're brand new to the space, seasoned investors looking for inspiration or just trying to fill out their Goodread's Reading Challenge before the year ends, we've got you covered.
Every book on this list will motivate and educate startup investors as they continue to build out their startup portfolio. Happy reading!
Venture Deals: Be Smarter than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist
By Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson
This book provides a great overview of how venture capital deals are structured and how to strategize like a VC. It helps investors understand what VC is looking for, and breaks down the complex language that fills every investment conversation.
By Jason Calacanis
For more than twenty five years, Jason Calacanis has successfully invested in startups. In his book, he outlines how he and other successful angel investors evaluate startups and make investment decisions. It's a must read for new angel investors.
It's About Damn Time: How to Turn Being Underestimated Into Your Greatest Advantage
By Arlan Hamilton
Arlan Hamilton’s book explores an underrated theory: underrepresented founders have huge potential, and investing in them can turn into huge profits. By telling her own story of breaking into the VC world without the typical connection or degrees, Hamilton highlights the opportunity underestimated founders and investors represent.
Superforecasting: The Art of Science and Prediction
By Philip E. Tetlock and Dan Gardner
Some people just seem to know how to plan for the future and set themselves up for success. Is that skill a natural talent or a skill that can be cultivated? Tetlock and Gardner set out to find out how we can all cultivate skills to help us improve our ability to predict the future that can be applied to evaluating startups.
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness
by Eric Jorgenson
In this book, Eric Jorgenson breaks down lessons from Naval Ravikant, founder of AngelList, about wealth and happiness. Using lessons directly from Ravikant, Jorgenson reveals the skills behind creating wealth and happiness in our lives.
Secrets of Sand Hill Road: Venture Capital and How to Get It
By Scott Kupor
In “Secrets of Sand Hill Road,” Kupor breaks down how investors think and evaluate startups behind closed doors. Learn about portfolio creation, valuation and relationship building from one of the earliest Silicon Valley investors.
By Bradley Miles, Carol Tietsworth and Guido Henckel
This book is the first in a series called “Venture Capital Guide Books,” and provides an in-depth overview of the different types of startup investing, startup evaluation, VC jobs, and more.
Mastering Private Equity: Transformation via Venture Capital, Minority Investments and Buyouts
by Claudia Zeisberger, Michael Prahl, and Bowen White
Interested in private equity investments? Zeisberger, Prahl, and White provide the core concepts and dynamics of venture capital, growth equity and buyout transactions to help anyone get an overview of how private equity really works.
Data Driven: Solving the Biggest Problems in Startup Investing
By Amal Bhatnagar
For a lot of people, “data” is a terrifying word. But good quality data and sound measurement practices can make a tremendous difference in the startup world. For investors, this book uncovers how to use data efficiently to evaluate startups and make smart investment decisions.
Angel Investing: The Gust Guide to Making Money & Having Fun Investing in Startups
by David S. Rose and Reid Hoffman
Angel investing can be daunting. How do you know if you should be an angel investor? Rose and Hoffman share their insider knowledge and experience to help potential investors uncover the secrets to angel investing, and the tools, tactics, and strategies you need for success.