Why Experienced Founders Often Win
Research challenges the myth of the 22-year-old founder and raises a better question about generational strengths.
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Startup StrategyValidation, venture design, market choices, and the practical work of building a company.
Old man post 😅
One of the most interesting startup studies I've seen found that the average age of founders of the fastest-growing startups is not 22.
It's 45!
Researchers from MIT looked at millions of companies and found that a 50-year-old founder is almost twice as likely to build a successful high-growth startup as a 30-year-old founder.
Which is funny.
Because startup culture still behaves like if you're over 35, you're already supposed to be mentoring people, not competing with them.
At the same time...
The older I get, the harder it becomes to understand Gen Z.
Not because they're less talented.
Actually, probably the opposite.
But because we grew up in different operating systems.
For example, I'm 37.
I still struggle to care about the difference between a Story, a Short, a Reel, a TikTok, a Clip, or whatever new format appeared this week.
I've learned the difference but… my ADHD brain simply refuses to store this information as important 😅
To me they're mostly just: "videos."
Meanwhile some Gen Z users consume short-form content so naturally that it feels like checking messages or drinking water.
On the other hand, I've met graduates from excellent universities who can edit videos at lightning speed, build personal brands, and navigate social media perfectly...
but have never properly used Google Calendar.
Or don't know advanced Google Search.
Or never learned how to organize information systematically.
And somehow both groups think the other one is weird.
The interesting part is that Gen Z will probably build companies differently.
Less martyrdom.
Less "work until burnout."
Less fighting windmills for 10 years because a founder promised investors a revolution.
More focus on personal freedom, leverage and quality of life.
Honestly, there is something healthy about that.
Maybe every generation solves the problems created by the previous one, creating a new one for their children.
Also would like to hear the story: how do you deal with an age gap as co-founders? Is that a thing for you?
#startups #founders #generations