20+ Must-Read Books if you Want to Work in Venture Capital

The best venture capitalists come from experience. Starting a business. Growing a business. Investing, failing, and recovering.

But, the venture industry is changing. For example, with Venture for America, younger people are entering venture right out of college.

To do venture capital well takes a lot of work and experience. It requires a unique level of curiosity. You have to be absolutely objective.

Over the years I have easily read more than 400 books on the subject of technology, innovation, and markets. I have another 100 or so piled up ready to read. Some good, some bad, some I plan to just read a bit.

From all of these, I have a core set of books I reference a lot. Sometimes when I am asked a question, I hand the person the book and say “Read this first, or you won't understand my answer”. Through the good and bad decisions, these are the books that offered the most insight and guidance.

If you plan to enter venture capital, you should read these books and understand them. They are pretty fundamental.

This is also a reading list we give anyone applying to our firm for a job.

The List — In no specific order

#1: Prophet Innovation Schumpeter Creative Destruction
Schumpter is the father of innovation economics. The story of his life and the things that shaped his thinking are pivotal to understanding the…