8 books, summarised simply.
North to the Future
Narrative nonfiction book by Ben Weissenbach following years of fieldwork with Arctic scientists in Alaska, exploring climate change, permafrost thaw, wildfires, and ecosystem shifts in the American Arctic. While not a startup handbook, it offers founders deep insight into long-term thinking, climate risk, and scientific exploration—useful context for climate- and impact-focused startups.
Build the Damn Thing
by Kathryn Finney
"Build the Damn Thing: How to Start a Successful Business If You're Not a Rich White Guy" by Kathryn Finney is a Wall Street Journal bestseller that provides a guide for entrepreneurs navigating a business world dominated by the privileged. It offers practical advice on business plans, team growth, and product development, empowering underrepresented entrepreneurs.
Lean Impact
by Ann Mei Chang
A book by Ann Mei Chang, inspired by The Lean Startup, that adapts lean innovation principles to social impact ventures and mission-driven organizations. It offers practical tools, case studies, and frameworks to help founders and leaders rapidly experiment, validate solutions, and scale their impact when tackling large social and environmental problems.
Money with Meaning
A book that explores how entrepreneurs and investors can build companies and deploy capital that generate both financial returns and positive social impact. It focuses on aligning purpose, profit, and personal fulfillment, making it relevant for startup founders interested in mission-driven or impact-focused ventures.
The Greater Good
by Madeleine Shaw
"The Greater Good: Social Entrepreneurship for Everyday People Who Want to Change the World" by Madeleine Shaw provides insights for social entrepreneurs, especially women and those traditionally excluded from mainstream business. The book draws from Shaw's experiences and other successful social entrepreneurs to inspire readers to create impactful ventures.
The Startup Community Way
by Brad Feld & Ian Hathaway
*The Startup Community Way* by Brad Feld and Ian Hathaway is a follow-up to *Startup Communities*. It revisits the lessons learned from building entrepreneurial ecosystems and compares them with experiences from emerging ecosystems worldwide.
This Could Be Our Future
by Yancey Strickler
A book by Kickstarter cofounder and former CEO Yancey Strickler that explores how businesses, technologists, and founders can move beyond a narrow focus on financial value toward more expansive, long-term forms of value. While not a tactical startup handbook, it’s a thought-provoking read for startup founders interested in building mission-driven companies and rethinking how technology and capital shape the future.
Startup Communities
by Brad Feld
*Startup Communities* by Brad Feld explores how to build entrepreneurial ecosystems, using Boulder, CO as a case study. It provides insights into the resources available to founders, especially in smaller or emerging tech hubs.