About the Startup Books Directory
The Startup Books Directory is a reading list of 100 books for founders, kept by Fe/male Switch. Fe/male Switch is a startup education platform with a women-first startup game and a free Startup School, founded by Violetta Bonenkamp. We built the directory because founders ask us the same question every week: which book should I read next, and is it worth my time?
How do we pick the books?
A book gets a place when it teaches founders something they can use. The list covers 12 topics, from customer validation and startup methods to money, marketing, leadership and the stories of people who built companies. Classics stay when their ideas still work; we say so on the page when their examples have aged.
One book on the list, Startup Idea Validation the Right Way, is written by the founder of Fe/male Switch. We mark that on its page.
How do we write each book page?
- Our own words. Every summary, lesson and critique is written by our team. We do not copy text from the books, their covers or summary services, and we do not quote the books.
- Checked facts. We check the title, subtitle, authors, year of first publication and publisher against the publisher, the author's own site or a library record, and list those sources at the bottom of each page.
- Honest limits. Each page has a section on where the book falls short, so you know what to pair it with.
- Dated updates. Each page shows when it was last updated.
How can you use the directory?
Search or filter the full list, open a topic page, or follow the "read next" suggestions at the end of every book page. When you are ready to act on what you read, the F/MS Startup Game and the free Startup School turn the ideas into steps.
Spotted a mistake or want to suggest a book? Write to team@femaleswitch.com.