Blume Recommends: Our favorite books, movies, podcasts, and more from 2024!

As we wrap up another trip around the sun, we asked our Blume colleagues to share the content that moved them, taught them, and entertained them in 2024. From gripping books about technology’s geopolitical impact to heartwarming TV shows and thought-provoking podcasts, here’s what caught their attention. Get ready to fill up your winter break watchlist!

Read

The written word continues to captivate the Blume team, with recommendations ranging from deep technological insights to personal growth and health. Here’s what our colleagues couldn’t put down this year.

Books

Sajith Pai, Partner at Blume, dove deep into the Indian judicial system with Court on Trial. ​“It was fascinating and infuriating in equal measures,” he explains. ​“To a legal layman like me, it opened up the world of the Indian Supreme Court, and the challenges the court faces. The book lays out these challenges not through anecdotes (though there are some) but through data which is not easy to come by, and was painstakingly assembled.”

For founders, Sajith highly recommends The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick. ​“It is the single best resource for conducting customer conversations better, especially during the problem validation phase of a startup. The name comes from asking questions in such a manner that even your mom can’t lie to you!” He also found great value in Accidental Empires, describing it as a ​“fun, racy, spicy, ultra-gossipy read of the history of Silicon Valley” that goes beyond anecdotes to cover technological trends and business dynamics.

Akhilesh, who focuses on deeptech investments, found wisdom in Morgan Housel’s Same as Ever. ​“This book is a well-orchestrated collection of timeless wisdom showcased through real examples through the course of history. A must read for anyone who wants to accelerate their learning by at least a few years,” he shares. 

He also recommends Immune by Philipp Dettmer, founder of the popular YouTube channel Kurzgesagt, praising its ability to ​“simply explain one of the most complex topics in life sciences.”

The intersection of technology and geopolitics caught Alok’s (Director of Investor Success) attention this year with Chip Wars by Chris Miller. He found the book instrumental in understanding ​“the strategic aspects of technology and its geo-political ramifications that we are seeing play out.”

Rohit Kaul, who leads Marketing at Blume, had an eclectic reading list this year. His fiction picks included Fredrik Backman’s Anxious People and Michiko Aoyama’s What You Are Looking For Is in the Library. On the business and strategy front, he dove into several impactful reads, including Clear Thinking by Shane Parrish, The Fund by Rob Copeland, and Good Strategy Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt. The Great CEO Within by Matt Mochary and Excellent Advice for Living by Kevin Kelly rounded out his comprehensive reading list for the year.

For those interested in health and genetics, Ankush from our Finance team recommends Own Your Body by Dr. Shiv K Sarin. ​“The doctor writer discusses through various real life patient cases how the genetic ​‘kundali’ is important for deciding how a person will be health wise. He aptly discusses the need for adults to be responsible enough to ensure that their children inherit healthy genes from them.”

Marmik from our consumer tech investments team says that he finally got around to reading Never Split the Difference, noting that he ​“learned a thing or two on ​‘tactical empathy.’ ” Joseph Sebastian, who focuses on fintech investments, suggests A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam as an excellent way to cap off your year.

Watch

From political dramas to heartwarming comedies, our team found plenty to binge-watch this year.

TV Shows

Apurva Dixit, from our investment team focusing on consumer brands, couldn’t get enough of The Diplomat. ​“We are all running out of time at home and work. So when it comes to movie or TV watching, if it does, every second counts. And Diplomat, despite being a political drama, delivers on every second.”

She also highly recommends Hacks, noting it’s a ​“must watch for anybody who’s crossed difficult barriers to create a healthy and flourishing working relationship with a boss or peer. Watch it till the very last episode of the last season or don’t watch at all.” Her third recommendation, Nobody Wants This, she describes as ​“just good and warm. A dramedy that would appeal to both genders.”

Joseph was particularly impressed with the third season of Industry, calling it ​“a real Tour de Force.” He also found Apple TV’s Presumed Innocent to be a ​“delightful binge-able” series.

Ankush found joy in the simplicity of Panchayat on Amazon Prime. ​“It’s lovely to watch simple characters in simple situations and their extraordinary reactions. The dialect, struggles, and fun of daily life and eccentric human emotions” make it special, he shares.

For those interested in technology and electronics, Akhilesh recommends the YouTube channel Branch Education, praising its well-researched information presented in a concise format.

Movies

The Korean film Past Lives stood out as Joseph Sebastian’s movie of the year, while sports enthusiast Marmik found inspiration in Netflix’s new season of Tour de France: Unchained, noting how ​“it’s always great to watch competitive sports people take things to the next level.”

Listen

2024 was a year rich in audio content, from insightful podcasts to inspiring interviews.

Audiobooks

Joseph had an impressive audiobook lineup this year. His selections included On Leadership by Tony Blair, The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis, and Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke, offering a diverse range of perspectives from political leadership to behavioral economics and decision-making.

Podcasts

The Acquired podcast emerged as a clear favorite among multiple team members. Joseph and Marmik both praised their episode on Meta, with Marmik calling it ​“probably one of the best episodes ever of the series.” Apurva found their Nike episode particularly enlightening, noting it as a ​“must have for someone building a consumer product.”

Sajith Pai shared his carefully curated podcast list, highlighting his top three: ​“Invest Like the Best — outstanding podcast with well-curated top drawer guests; 20VC — one of the OGs of the startup podcast scene; and Lenny’s Podcast — particularly good for its curation of guests, going beyond the usual big tech PMs.” 

Alok introduced us to ​“Puliyabaazi”, a Hindi podcast covering ​“a wide range of topics — politics, public policy, history, technology” hosted by Saurabh (founder of Blume portfolio company ATI Motors), Pranay, and Khyati. 

Rohit expanded his horizons with some fresh podcast discoveries this year. He particularly enjoyed AI and I by Dan Shipper of Every, the insightful conversations on BG2 Pod by Bill Gurley and Brad Gerstner, and How I Write by David Perell.

Music

Sajith discovered new music this year, including Peter Cat Recording Co’s Beta album. The lack of suggestions here should not make you think that music isn’t the language of love at Blume. :slightly_​smiling_​face:

Interviews

Ankush recommended two compelling interviews available on YouTube: Nana Patekar on LALLANTOP and Shoojit Sircar on UNFILTERED. ​“The journeys of both Nana and Shoojit are truly inspirational. Humble backgrounds, humble beginnings and yet profound impact on the craft they love — acting and directing respectively,” he shares.

Whether you’re looking to dive deep into technology, enjoy compelling storytelling, or gain new perspectives, these recommendations from the Blume team offer something for everyone. Here’s to another year of learning, growing, and being entertained! See you on the other side of 2024!