The Soul of Startups

A word from the author

I am pleased to announce that the Soul of Startups is set to be published by Wiley on August 2nd, 2022. This is your chance to learn and explore how the personality of a founder can affect the culture of a startup. In The Soul of Startups: The Untold Stories of How Founders Affect Culture, I deliver an insightful, unique, and eye-opening discussion and analysis of the significance of culture in the vibrant, dynamic, and uncertain world of startups.

This book is close to my heart as I have had to draw from my unique experience to pull this together, and I am proud to share this story with you. I share how a great culture enables startup leaders to create a great competitive advantage. It also helps attract and retain your talent, increase your employees’ engagement with their work, create happiness and satisfaction in the workplace, and drive high performance, attracting customers and investors alike.

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The key is to know and understand that the founder of a startup determines the culture on purpose. In Soul of Startups, you will learn about company founders who did not have the intelligence and emotional maturity to start an organization on which a team would depend for their wellbeing. 

On the other hand, you will also learn about leaders who excelled at creating positive and supporting environments that allowed their team members to grow and thrive, both personally and professionally.

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  • “In startups, Human Capital is everything. This is why you will get your first investment, why you will attract talent, and how you differentiate yourself. Like any capital, you need to invest in it. Sophie opens up clues on how to best do it.”

    —Janos Barberis, Author & Co-Founder of SuperCharger Ventures

  • “When I look at companies, the first thing I do is to look at the founders. While you can influence the startup business model, product, and strategies, you can’t influence the character of the founder, who they are, and what they value. And this book does just that.”

    —Theodora Lau, Author & Founder of Unconventional Ventures

  • “It’s time to break the cult of the founder and start an honest discussion around the good, the bad, and the ugly in entrepreneurship. Sophie’s book is a must read for founders, current and prospective startup employees, and VCs.”

    —Gregoire Michel, Investor

  • “Entrepreneurship is a sophisticated, arduous, and at times cryptic endeavor, mostly glamorous from the outside. Utilizing an academic crescendo filter, Sophie deciphers with absolute brilliance the hidden realities and dilemmas of the convoluted startup world.”

    —Ioana Surpateanu, Web3 investor & Entrepreneur

Who is it for? 

The Soul of Startups: The Untold Stories of How Founders Affect Culture is ideal for you if you are:

  • An entrepreneur who understands the significance of culture at the start of your journey in developing a business or startup that will last.

  • A business leader who needs to transform your company culture to attract, develop, and retain great people to grow your business.

  • An investor who wants to help shape the culture of the businesses you have invested in.

  • A professional or student who is new to the idea of startup culture.

The Soul of Startups is currently available for pre-order.

Media contact: For advance copies of my book, interviews with me, or any additional information, you can contact: hello@sophietheen.com. You can also contact me for speaking opportunities.