4 Books Every Woman Entrepreneur in STEM Should Read

As we commemorate International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we’re excited to highlight the insights of inspiring women who have carved great careers in STEM fields. In this blog post, we’ve asked Karren Jensen, Elaine Winchester and Maria Martinez — all graduates of the Aerospace Xelerated programme — to recommend books that have influenced and inspired them on their entrepreneurial journeys in STEM fields.

1. Lean In — Women, Work, and The Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg

“This book was pivotal to me being where I am today — CEO of Conductor. I read it at an interesting time in my life — the passing of my father. I realised I had been holding myself back, just as much as structural barriers had impacted access to opportunities. I took stock and realised opportunities were all around me and just needed to make them work, instead of waiting to be ready to go for them.”

— Karren Jensen, CEO of Conductor

2. The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz

“A former CEO gave me The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz when I was a Business Development Executive about 10 years ago. It has always stood out for me and is one that I go back to again and again. An oldie but a goodie. It doesn’t subscribe to the concept that there is a ready-made process or framework for building and running a successful business that entrepreneurs can apply. It is a book that talks about real business events and offers valuable and applicable advice that can help guide your unique process. The author, when not in storytelling mode about their own experiences, talks about their conceptual CEO example as being a ‘she’. Maybe that’s why this book resonated with me. It’s a must-read!

I’m also partway through Becoming Bulletproof by Evy Poumpouras on Audible at the moment and it’s a great find! This author was a female special agent in the US Secret Service and she tells her story about being caught up in some pretty major events and how she dealt with and overcame these incredibly challenging situations. I would argue that founders (and those in leadership in start-ups) sometimes feel like they need to be a special agent to figure out their next move so it’s a very applicable read/listen (so far!!).”

— Elaine Winchester from Plyable

3. Venture Deals by Brad Feld & Jason Mendelson

“When I was fundraising, all the legal details and the terminology were overwhelming and “foreign” (literally like Chinese!) to me. This book cleared it all up! It explains which things you should worry about and which ones you shouldn’t. I am planning to reread it before my next round! It is easy to read and more importantly: easy to understand.”

— Maria Martinez from Aerosens

About Aerospace Xelerated

Aerospace Xelerated is a global aerospace accelerator and innovation programme delivered in partnership with diverse industry stakeholders, such as Boeing, Tawazun Council, Etihad Airways, Rolls-Royce, GKN Aerospace, and the UK’s Defence and Security Accelerator. Aerospace Xelerated provides investment, mentorship, and support for startups and SMEs developing scalable and sustainable tech solutions for the aerospace industry and beyond.

For the last four years, Aerospace Xelerated has provided mentorship, investment, and support for 42 startups from 14 countries across 4 continents around the globe. Our current portfolio boasts 25% women-led startups, with our most recent cohort featuring an impressive 50% women-led ventures. To date, AX-supported companies have raised over £250M in additional funding — beyond our initial equity investment into each- and created nearly 1000 highly skilled jobs worldwide.

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