HUMANUP · Katy Tuncer

A business book with a difference

Everything
is decided
for you.

The real founder’s journey, told as a story. In a near future where humans have only leisure, a forbidden diary reveals what it took to build something new, and asks the question every leader should be asking now: what happens when we stop deciding for ourselves?

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Sarah

And then she paused, half way through closing the lid. Attached to the piano casing with a decaying gaffa tape, and pressing on that B-flat string, was a wooden, physical box. Mystery, covered in dust. She saw Reenie look away, with a fraction of a smile turned up on her lips. Mischief was being accepted. So Sarah lifted out the box, twice the size of her two hands but light enough to lift with ease. She peered at the two letters, etched in the top - presumably with a hasty hand holding something sharp and hard. She made out ‘AD’.

Azra — Day 1

I don’t keep diaries. This is a log. Today marks the start of it. I’ve registered for the business school’s spin-out course and that makes it real. I want to be able to look back and see what I did, or didn’t, achieve. And understand why.

I’ll write an entry only when something relevant happens. This isn’t a heart-pouring journal. I’ll be honest and realistic, not neat, and certainly not mushy.

That said, I’ve noticed how writing sometimes helps me put my thoughts in order. I’ll test how beneficial this diary can be for that. I mean, this log.

The story

Two women.
Two timelines.

One lives in a future where every decision is made for her. The other wrote down, by hand, what it cost to make decisions in the first place.

The optimised future

Sarah

There is only leisure for the humans now. Under the constant guidance of her carers, Sarah is safe, healthy, and her future is secure. Until she finds a dusty, handwritten diary she was never meant to read.

The 2020s founder

Azra

Azra writes bluntly. She is single-minded in building a digital health platform to give people control over their lives as they age. But the more data she collects, the harder the ethical questions get.

Then sinister secrets inside Sarah’s own facility emerge, and her future turns out to be nothing like she was led to believe.

Why read it

Part speculative fiction,
Part founders’ field-guide

01

A hidden founder case study

The mess, the crushing responsibility of doing something never done before, and the resilience it takes to hold to a mission under unfair judgment.

02

A textbook you’ll finish

A digestible alternative to a business textbook for anyone with ambitions in entrepreneurship. You feel the decisions rather than memorise them.

03

A case for human agency

When the temptation to outsource every decision feels irresistible, this story of hope shows a path to the rebirth of human freedom.

Early readers

“I felt heartbroken by the ending.”

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The archetypal characters we often encounter on a business leadership journey are absolutely nailed.
Piers Ricketts
The actual building of a business is worked out well – you can see the author has a lot of experience. I felt heartbroken by the ending.
Inge Cuypers
The story has themes of innovation, leadership, and technology that are increasingly mainstream and relevant, with some chilling realisations as powerful elements.
Poppy Johnson
Azra’s emotional journey, with investor relationships so vivid, is extremely educational. Is Azra conning herself? I found that fascinating.
Rachel Nagy
Katy Tuncer smiling in a navy blazerThe book’s timeline laid out in manuscript pages and colourful handwritten notesKaty Tuncer writing, photographed by Hakon Hoydal

Katy: My mentor and writing buddy Hakon Hoydal took this photo of me. I’m deep into draft 8, writing in a space that inspired some of the scenes in Azra’s university city, Benebridge. The location may or may not be based on Oxford or Cambridge, but even if it is, please be assured that all the characters are entirely fictitious. Honestly :-)

Meet the author

“I want everyone to appreciate the messy founder job of bringing innovation to the world. Oh, and I’ll be truly happy if I manage to inspire readers to reclaim their own human agency.”
Katy Tuncer

Executive coach, leader and former founder, immersed in the innovation scenes of Cambridge and Oxford. Coach to over 1,000 leaders across ten years. Former British Army Officer, Scotland Yard Director and McKinsey consultant, serial entrepreneur, and recognised on the BBC 100 Women list.

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