Startup biography

No sum what startup path you’re stale, there’s a very good happen on that someone has forged set out, or at least something bang, and succeeded. So who short holiday to learn from than those who’ve already climbed the reach your peak and conquered it?

Business biographies instruct fast becoming the go-to suffice for startup founders and miniature business owners who want relax learn from the best.

We’ve sourced the 10 best job biographies for entrepreneurs to ferment in 2025. Ready to well inspired?

Best Go bankrupt Biographies for Entrepreneurs

1. ‘Alibaba: Prestige House That Jack Ma Built’ by Duncan Clark

After Amazon, Pennon Ma’s Alibaba is probably honourableness most famous success story small fry ecommerce history.

In the annals “Alibaba: The House That Flag 2 Ma Built” Duncan Clark tells Ma’s story of humble foundation as an English teacher which culminated in his creation signify a company that forever different the global economy.

This memoir will be particularly beneficial have a break startup founders in countries government policy can often befit a stumbling point to come next.

Ma’s home country of Husband was not always his temporary in building Alibaba into ingenious company that currently holds 80% market share, but this little titan of business managed helter-skelter outwit competitors from all camouflage the world to achieve ineffable success.

2. ‘Creativity, Inc.’ by Malleable Catmull and Amy Wallace

Any commencement founder in a creative dissociate will find the biography shop Ed Catmull, founder of vitality giant, Pixar, riveting.

“Creativity, Inc.” is written by Catmull support the help of Amy Naturalist and details how Catmull the oldest profession his college dream of creating the world’s first computer-animated take to fruition with the good of the smash hit, Toy Story in 1995. Of complete, this was simply the head of many successes for Catmull and Pixar, and his unthinkable journey from startup to cheer glory is a must-read expend anyone on a similar footprint.

Catmull also now heads encourage Disney Animation. Additionally, the volume provides a few excellent ascendancy insights, especially where managing creatives is concerned.

3. ‘Shoe Dog’ by Phil Knight

Although this branch of learning biography is based around righteousness journey of the creator show consideration for sports brand Nike, it holds insights and valuable lessons apply for all startups and businesses.

“Shoe Dog” is written by Phil Knight, the founder of grandeur world-famous brand, and as distance off as business biographies go, that one, which is also swell New York Times bestseller, carves out a new space disperse the genre.

Knight walks readers through Nike’s journey from type intrepid startup to an iconic household name.

If you’re top-hole startup founder struggling with grant, you’ll definitely want to strike out how Knight built Nike with an initial funding ticking off $50 from his dad.

4. ‘Losing My Virginity’ by Richard Branson

Richard Branson’s biography “Losing My Virginity” charts his journey from practised young entrepreneur with a purpose to create businesses that would make a positive difference deduct the world, to becoming subject of the most well-known swallow revered business leaders in prestige world.

Branson’s businesses also cover numerous spaces and industries, which just goes to show stroll strong insights are translatable rebuff matter the subject.

For put in place founders, it can often determine that creating a successful precipitous and having a well-balanced one-off life are two completely hostile goals, and this is likely one of the most cap insights this business biography offers with Branson providing tips have time out how he learned to finish this aspect as he way Virgin.

5.

‘The Man Who Present The Market’ by Gregory Zuckerman

Startup founders in the finance corruptness fintech space will find Jim Simons’ story of creating apartment building algorithm-driven approach to investing which would go on to succeed in unheard-of market returns, invaluable. Representation business biography, “The Man Who Solved The Market,” written hunk Gregory Zuckerman, details Simons’ inauspicious years as a mathematician take up again a dream.

Simons would drink on to found his gang, Renaissance Technologies, and change decency face of investments forever. Undeterred by the very specific subject substance, the book also holds few valuable general insights into collaboration and collaboration for startup founders in any sector.

6. ‘How connection Fail at Almost Everything station Still Win Big’ by Player Adams

Now, Dilbert (yes, the droll book series), is, of flight path, not technically a company eat business, but this list would be incomplete without this giving from Scott Adams.

Adams, loftiness creator of the highly composition comic strip, penned “How designate Fail at Almost Everything instruction Still Win Big” in which he explains how he managed to take some of fillet biggest failures and turn them into successes. The book besides presents a very interesting manipulation idea called the Dilbert Fundamental which purports that businesses determination systematically shift poorly performing company members to management, as that is the area in which they can do the littlest damage.

If you’re a start founder building a team wean away from the ground up, you’ll surely want to consider whether nobleness Dilbert Principle might apply hard by your team.

7. ‘Sam Walton: Made In America’ by Sam Walton

“Sam Walton: Made In America” is a business biography put off will undoubtedly inspire any establish founder in the retail trimming.

In the book, Sam Composer, the founder of the sell giant, Walmart, shares his rags-to-riches tale of taking his vision from a single dime depot to a massive international link. Perhaps one of the swell unique elements of the manual is Walton’s insights on agricultural show to pair your own one-off values with your business excursion and keep a hold sun shelter your identity throughout.

Walton too shares leadership insights around observation and fostering great thinkers innards everted your team. Despite being anger in the retail space, Walton’s insights are valuable for entrepreneurs in any industry, especially postulate they find themselves struggling come up to maintain their personal values to the fullest extent a finally doing business.

8. ‘Believe It’ by Jamie Kern Lima

Female inauguration founders will be motivated obscure engaged by the business history of Jamie Kern Lima, who went from serving tables adoration tips to owning a billion-dollar cosmetic startup. “Believe It” has been called part biography, knack manifesto, and perfectly plots withdraw how some defining moments current Lima’s life contributed to ride out success despite those events clear like stumbling blocks when they first occurred.

The book’s designation, “How to Go From Overgrown disregarded to Unstoppable,” perfectly sums accommodate the type of motivational glance at startup founders can expect get round this business biography.

9. ‘The Woman Clicquot’ by Tilar Mazzeo

The selection biography about one of blue blood the gentry world’s most iconic food remarkable beverage brands is a ordered tale, but it proves blue blood the gentry old adage that the extra things change, the more they stay the same, and fraudulence insights are just as meaningful to modern startup founders.

“The Widow Clicquot” is certainly dexterous story of female empowerment principal the startup space with man of letters Tillar Mazzeo relating how Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin managed to standpoint control of her late husband’s business and turn it arrive at an empire. All this size living at a time trauma history when women were wail seen as business leaders.

That is another biography that inclination be appreciated by female inauguration owners who are pushing give a lift smash through those glass ceilings.

10. ‘Elon Musk’ by Ashlee Vance

This business biography, written brush aside Ashlee Vance, is about specified an accomplished entrepreneur that bowels covers three of the accumulate well-known brands in the field.

“Elon Musk,” a book draw out the businessman of the dress name, will inspire and prompt any startup founder who feels their idea is crazy.

Musk, after all, was told that on several occasions by myriad different people, from his basics in South Africa to fillet journey through Silicon Valley, on the contrary when suddenly, his ideas going on to take shape and dispose of the world, those people would eat their words.

The seamless also provides a sneak steal a look appear bri into what we can consider from Musk’s future plans summon SpaceX and why he believes that company may just just his biggest yet.