Triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a heterogeneous disease with distinct molecular subtypes that respond differentially to chemotherapy and targeted agents. The absence of high‐frequency molecular alterations and a limited number of known biomarkers have limited the development of therapeutic strategies for the disease. Herein, we summarize the results of the first round of targeted therapy approaches in TNBC and discuss new preclinical strategies. Common themes emerge from the proposed strategies, such as the use of biomarkers to identify tumours with genomic instability, targeting adapted molecular states resulting from tumour suppressor loss, and targeting altered metabolic pathways. Copyright © 2013 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.