2025 Summer VC Reading List

It's our annual tradition—venture capitalists and startup founders share the books that shaped them. From sci-fi and civil rights to artificial intelligence and management, this year's reading list offers insight into the minds of Silicon Valley’s most thoughtful leaders. Highlights include: Master of the Senate by Robert Caro, recommended by Casber Wang of Sapphire Ventures for its deep exploration of power and politics Traffic by Ben Smith, cited by Joe Alalou of Daring Ventures as essential reading on how the social web shaped our modern world The Sentence by Louise Erdrich, praised by Initiate Ventures’ Jessica Owens for its emotional depth and powerful storytelling Read Write Own by Chris Dixon, a pick from Bobby Franklin of the NVCA to better understand the potential of blockchain beyond crypto Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins, a personal favorite of Wharton’s Lori Rosenkopf for its message on turning perceived flaws into strengths Mindset by Carol Dweck, currently on Larry Gadea’s reading list The Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov, a longtime source of inspiration for Imvaria's Joshua Reicher High Output Management by Intel legend Andy Grove, recommended by Avery Pennarun of Tailscale Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, the book Amit Kumar of Accel is gifting to friends Prediction Machines by Ajay Agrawal, a favorite of Terry Doyle from TELUS Ventures for making AI approachable—even for his 89-year-old mother And anything by Isaac Asimov, says James Joaquin of Obvious Ventures, who’s now funding a factory that grows diamonds More than just a beach read list, these titles reflect the philosophies and obsessions of today’s investors. Dive into the full episode of Sand Hill Road for all the recommendations—and check our archives for past years’ picks.

Episode 177 of the Sand Hill Road podcast, hosted by NBC Bay Area, titled "2025 Summer VC Reading List" was published on June 26, 2025 and runs 8 minutes.

June 26, 2025 ·8m · Sand Hill Road

Summary

It's our annual tradition—venture capitalists and startup founders share the books that shaped them. From sci-fi and civil rights to artificial intelligence and management, this year's reading list offers insight into the minds of Silicon Valley’s most thoughtful leaders. Highlights include: Master of the Senate by Robert Caro, recommended by Casber Wang of Sapphire Ventures for its deep exploration of power and politics Traffic by Ben Smith, cited by Joe Alalou of Daring Ventures as essential reading on how the social web shaped our modern world The Sentence by Louise Erdrich, praised by Initiate Ventures’ Jessica Owens for its emotional depth and powerful storytelling Read Write Own by Chris Dixon, a pick from Bobby Franklin of the NVCA to better understand the potential of blockchain beyond crypto Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins, a personal favorite of Wharton’s Lori Rosenkopf for its message on turning perceived flaws into strengths Mindset by Carol Dweck, currently on Larry Gadea’s reading list The Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov, a longtime source of inspiration for Imvaria's Joshua Reicher High Output Management by Intel legend Andy Grove, recommended by Avery Pennarun of Tailscale Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, the book Amit Kumar of Accel is gifting to friends Prediction Machines by Ajay Agrawal, a favorite of Terry Doyle from TELUS Ventures for making AI approachable—even for his 89-year-old mother And anything by Isaac Asimov, says James Joaquin of Obvious Ventures, who’s now funding a factory that grows diamonds More than just a beach read list, these titles reflect the philosophies and obsessions of today’s investors. Dive into the full episode of Sand Hill Road for all the recommendations—and check our archives for past years’ picks.

Episode Description