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start business =//= start startup

business = plumbing, food stall, import/export, constulting, YC company etc.

startup = YC companies and other similar intense low odds/high reward businesses

edit: vaksel stole my thunder



And I still think you're wrong. There's a young person centric round here precisely because this is the YC site. But figures of just tech startup founder ages are harder to find.

All I can now talk about is from personal experience. For example I know at least 12 startup founders (meaning low cost, tech centric startups) in Nottingham, working for 3 of those startups. None are/were under 25 when they started their business. The majority of them were over 30. Only 2 had started a previous business before 25. My friend has worked for 3 different tech startups elsewhere. All had founders over 30. Most of these people were married. Some had kids. They still started a business in the tech field.

Perhaps it's because the events and things I go to appeal to people my age, and the events the younger founders go to appeal to a different age. But I doubt it. What I suspect is that older people are probably more likely to go into b2b, the less glamorous startups, because it's easier money and most of these people knew the industries from working in them beforehand. And thus relied on existing contacts and sales forces rather than techcrunch et al. for publicity.

In fact it's almost impossible for an out-of-college/still-in-college founder to enter b2b precisely because they have no experience of that business domain or contacts in it. They can't see the opportunities unless they work in it. The only business they might know is the startup one.

In the end, my point is the idea that older people have no interest in starting tech-centric startups is wrong. It doesn't even make any sense. Do you think older people are scared of tech or something?




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