Top Book Recommendations by Jessica Livingston: Best Books for Success

Jessica Livingston is a renowned American entrepreneur, investor, and author. She is best known for being a co-founder of the renowned startup accelerator Y Combinator. She is also the author of Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days, a collection of interviews with founders of successful technology companies. 

Livingston graduated from the University of Michigan in 1997 with a degree in economics. After graduation, she worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company and later at Goldman Sachs. In 2001, she left Goldman Sachs to work at a startup called Viaweb, which was later acquired by Yahoo and became Yahoo Store. 

In 2005, Livingston co-founded Y Combinator with Paul Graham, Robert Morris, Trevor Blackwell, and Jessica's husband, Sam Altman. Y Combinator is a startup accelerator that has invested in over 1,000 companies, including Dropbox, Airbnb, Reddit, and Stripe. Y Combinator has been instrumental in helping to launch the careers of many successful entrepreneurs and investors. 

In 2007, Livingston wrote the book Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days. The book is a collection of interviews with founders of successful technology companies, such as Steve Wozniak of Apple, Mitch Kapor of Lotus, and Caterina Fake of Flickr. The book has been praised for its insight into the early days of founding a startup. 

In addition to her work with Y Combinator and writing, Livingston is an active investor. She is a partner at Y Combinator, where she focuses on early-stage investments in tech startups. She is also an advisor to the seed-stage venture fund Founder Collective. 

Livingston is also actively involved in the tech community. She has served on the boards of several organizations, including the National Venture Capital Association and the Internet Archive. She is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. 

Livingston is an inspiring role model for entrepreneurs, investors, and tech enthusiasts. Her work with Y Combinator, her book, and her investments have helped to shape the tech scene in Silicon Valley and beyond.