The weeks before summer break have a particular rhythm. The ecosystem slows down just enough for us to notice the things we usually miss: the conversations that linger, the ideas that finally breathe, the founders who admit, without guilt, that they need a pause.
Next editions follows that cadence. Less noise, more clarity. And because summer is the one moment when reading becomes a form of recovery, I invited a few people I admire to share the books they believe are worth carrying into the break; worth taking to the beach, the countryside, or that café where no one knows us.
The result is exactly what I hoped for: diverse, thoughtful, and refreshingly unaligned. The ecosystem grows when it reads outside its own bubble.
Gabriela Faria Founder at Lisbon Project — Necessary Endings, Henry Cloud A clear-eyed guide to difficult decisions: people, projects, and relationships that must end for growth to happen. As Gabriela puts it, “what got us here won’t get us there.”
Rui Quinta Co-Founder at With Company — Designerly Ways of Knowing, Nigel CrossA foundational work for anyone who wants to understand design not just as practice, but as a way of knowing and acting in the world. For Rui, it also carries a personal note: Nigel Cross himself was in the audience when he first shared this idea.
João Silva Head of Data & Tech at StartUp Portugal — Lamento de uma América em Ruínas, J. D. Vance A raw portrait of the Rust Belt’s working-class families and the wounds that shape worldviews, votes, and resentments. For João, it’s essential reading for anyone trying to understand how narratives form, and why that matters for technology and AI.
And I included one of my own; Principles: Life and Work, Ray Dalio A book that teaches the discipline of clarity. For anyone building something ( startup, team, life) it’s a reminder that good judgment is rarely accidental and almost always the result of deliberate thinking.
We’ll be here next week, with some more of our guests’ suggestions.
See you at the next event.