5 Movies every startup founder should watch

Startup movies for founders

Starting and running a successful startup is simultaneously one of the most exciting and stressful journeys you can embark on.

But, you don’t have to resign yourself to constantly feeling stressed out and anxious.

Just like everyone else, you need to take time off work sometimes. 

And what better way to ease out than a night of binge-watching movies? 

Whether you are a tech startup founder or co-founder, and irrespective of the stage of your startup; you will find the following list of movies inspiring for yourself and your brand.

1. Steve Jobs (2015)

Steve Jobs (2015)

The movie “Steve Jobs” was released in 2015 and is one of several movies about the legendary founder of Apple.

Steve Jobs was directed by Danny Boyle and written by Aaron Sorkin.

They created a character to portray the fascinating Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs started Apple, a company that he was later pushed out of.

The movie illustrates that you can never be ready to start a business; it teaches you to constantly adapt and hustle to get things done as a founder.

2. The Startup Kids (2012)

The Startup Kids (2012)

The Startup Kids is a documentary that portrays a handful of young tech entrepreneurs.

Amongst which are the creators of Dropbox, Debito, Soundcloud, Vimeo, and Xsmoke.

They tell their stories of how they built their innovative and successful companies at such an early age. 

The movie is especially interesting for young and early-stage startup founders. 

3. Le Mans ’66: Ford v Ferrari (2019)

Le Mans ’66: Ford v Ferrari (2019)

This movie is the story of an American automotive designer, Carroll Shelby, and a fearless British race car driver, Ken Miles. They had to battle corporate interference, the laws of physics and their demons to build a revolutionary vehicle for the Ford Motor Co.

Together, they plan to compete against the race cars of Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1996.

This movie perfectly demonstrates how to cope with impossible deadlines, ruthless competitors,  doing marketing, overdoing the right things, and most important.

4. The Social Network (2010)

The Social Network (2010)

The Social Network Scripted by Aaron Sorkin and directed by David Fincher, tells the story of Mark Zuckerberg’s rise from Harvard student to founder, CEO, and billionaire. 

The film revolved around intellectual property, ethics, lawsuits and relationships. The movie helps to clarify what constitutes intellectual property.

Aside from that, it also proves that sometimes, there are more important things required to become a successful founder (entrepreneur) than a college degree; timing and opportunities in particular are crucial to an entrepreneur.

Though, there has been a lot of dispute about the accuracy of the movie by Facebook.

5. The Pursuit Of Happyness.

The Pursuit Of Happyness.

The Pursuit of Happyness is a true story based on the life of entrepreneur Chris Gardner’s nearly one-year struggle of being homeless with his son while going through a gruelling 6-month unpaid internship as a stockbroker.

Chris Gardner overcame unbelievable circumstances to achieve his dreams. Pursuit of Happyness clearly demonstrates circumstances that are not much different from what early-stage entrepreneurs(founders) face.

All work and no play they say makes Jack a dull boy. Distract yourself a bit from the stress that comes with running a startup, 

Watch some movies and get inspired

Cheers👌

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