In recent years, the world of startups and entrepreneurship has become a popular subject for filmmakers and TV creators. From inspiring success stories to gripping tales of challenges and failures, these films and series offer a unique glimpse into the dynamic and often unpredictable world of startups. In this article, we will explore some noteworthy films and series that revolve around the theme of startups, highlighting their titles, release dates, and brief summaries. So grab some popcorn and get ready to be inspired!
1. The Social Network (2010)
The movie tells the story of the creation of one of the most popular social networks on the Internet – Facebook. The resounding success of this network among users all over the world changed forever the lives of Harvard University classmates who founded it in 2004 and within a few years became the youngest multimillionaires in the United States. The screenplay is based on Ben Mezrich’s book “The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, a Tale of Sex, Money, Genius, and Betrayal”.
2. Silicon Valley (TV Series, 2014-2019)
The protagonist of the series, Richard Hendrix, an extremely gifted programmer working for one of the largest Internet companies, is working on creating his own music website. He manages to create a lossless music compression technology that has no competitors. The series humorously recounts the trials and tribulations of running a startup, touching on topics such as funding, competition, and ethical dilemmas.
3. Halt and Catch Fire (TV Series, 2014-2017)
Events unfold during the fast-growing computer industry in the mid-1980s and early 1990s. Former IBM employee Joe McMillan wants to create and bring to market a portable personal computer. To accomplish this, he enlists the help of a talented engineer and a wunderkind coder.
4. Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999)
A movie about the most famous technology companies -Apple and Microsoft. Computer geniuses Bill Gates and Steve Jobs conquer the world. They dreamed that someday the whole world would know about their projects, which seemed incredible at the time. A few years later, the dreams became reality.
5.”Steve Jobs” (2015)
The story is based on three of Apple’s landmark introductions: the Macintosh in 1984, its updated model in 1988, and the iMac in 1998. The movie depicts Steve Jobs’ relationship with the team around him and the people who played an important role in his life and had a huge impact on shaping his personality.
6. “Joy” (2015)
The inspiring story of Joy Mangano, a single mother who invents the miracle mop and builds a successful business empire. The movie is about the resilience, determination, and entrepreneurial spirit needed to overcome obstacles and achieve success.
7. The Founder (2016)
The life story of Ray Kroc, the man who created the world’s most famous chain of fast food restaurants – McDonald`s. In his life, Raymond Albert Kroc has worked as a jazz musician, a real estate agent, a salesman of cocktail mixers and paper cups.
8. Girlboss (TV Series, 2017)
The series will tell the incredible success story of a man who achieved everything on his own, starting from scratch… The show is based on the biography of a real person – a girl named Sophia Amoruso, who founded a fashionable and world-famous brand called Nasty Gal. After which she wrote the book #Girlboss, which became a global bestseller.
9. Harley and the Davidsons (TV Series, 2016)
The history of the Harley-Davidson company in an inconspicuous garage in the American city of Milwaukee. The founders of the giant motorcycle corporation – William Harley, Arthur Davidson and his two brothers Walter and William – were in their early twenties, full of optimism and grandiose plans that came to fruition on a much larger scale than imagined.
10. Padman / Pad Man (2018)
The story of Arunachalam Muruganantham, who in the late 1990s invented a technology to produce inexpensive feminine hygiene pads in an artisanal way, and freely promoted his invention and hygiene promotion among the poorest areas of India and elsewhere. In 2006, Arunachalam Muruganantham received the National Innovation Award from the hands of the President of India, Pratibha Patil.
11. We crashed (TV Series, 2022)
Adam Neumann together with Miguel McKelvey founded the co-working network WeWork in 2010. It attracted about $12.8 billion in investments.
In 2019, the company attracted media attention after a failed IPO. Newspapers called it the biggest failure in startup history.
12. BlackBerry (2023)
In 1996, Canadian tech enthusiasts Mike Lazaridis and Douglas Fregin decide to combine a computer and a phone into one device. After assembling a working prototype of the world’s first smartphone called BlackBerry from trash, they strike a deal with businessman Jim Balsillie, who provides funding. The innovative device quickly takes over the market and brings its creators billions of…
13. The Playlist (TV Series, 2022)
Swedish entrepreneur Daniel Ek and his business partner Martin Laurentsson find a way to reconcile the music industry and “pirates,” people who prefer to listen to music for free. Despite the difficulties, they create Spotify, a service that allows you to legally listen to music, podcasts and audiobooks, which is gaining popularity around the world.
14. Super Pumped: the battle for Uber (TV Series, 2022)
The story of UBER, the company that launched the cab and food ordering app used in many countries.
15. Mr Selfridge (TV Series, 2013-2016)
The story of the American entrepreneur G.G. Selfridge. In 1906, during his first visit to London, he became convinced that England lacked sensible shopping centers and opened his first such establishment in 1909. The movie will show the rise and fall of the revolutionary businessman over three decades, from 1909 to 1939.
16. Tetris (2023)
Businessman Hank Rogers and Tetris inventor Alexei Pazhitnov join forces in the USSR with one goal in mind: to make Tetris the most popular game ever played.
17. The Dropout (TV Series, 2022)
The series is about young entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes and her technology company Theranos. Before she finished her second year of college, she patented a technology that can be used to test the body with just a few drops of blood. Forbes named her the richest self-made woman in America: in 2015, her fortune was $4.5 billion and Theranos was worth $9 billion. In 2018, Elizabeth was accused of fraud. She falsified data to attract investments.
18. Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend (2022)
Post-war Italy undergoes a process of transformation after abandoning fascist ideology. At the same time, the brilliant car inventor Ferruccio Lamborghini begins his road to fame. Lamborghini isn’t going to dig in the ground like his mom and dad. He wants to build sports cars. He believes in himself, and he manages to build a successful tractor design business, but Ferruccio does not abandon his dream. Already in adulthood, Lamborghini collects an unearthly beauty sports car, hoping to overtake the competitor in the person of Enzo Ferrari.
19. The Internship (2013)
The heroes of the movie Nick and Billy are best friends who have worked all their lives in direct sales. They are fired because the whole world is now computerized. And this, in turn, leads the protagonists to look for a job, which contrary to all expectations appears in the most popular company of the new generation – “Google”. However, to get this job will be far from easy, because the competitors of friends will be students of the best universities in the country.
20. Стартап: Accendi il tuo future (2017)
A teenager, named Matteo, dreams of becoming a professional swimmer. When his coach prefers to him the son of the team’s sponsors, Matteo takes revenge studying at the university Bocconi and inventing a social network.
Startup movies and series provide insight into the challenges, triumphs and dynamics of the entrepreneurial world. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or simply passionate about startup culture, these movies and shows will provide you with valuable information, inspiration and entertainment. And don’t forget to attend Startup Iceland Camp to further ignite your entrepreneurial ambitions and become the director or superstar of your startup.
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