Startups study

[michjeanty]

A new Kauffman Foundation study indicates that most tech firm founders are approaching middle-age and have extensive backgrounds business and technology. Findings from the study, a survey of 652 US-born technology firm executives, indicate:

- The median age at which founders started companies was 39. - 92% of founders have bachelor’s degrees, while 31% hold master’s degrees, and 10% hold a Ph.D. - 45% of founders started their companies in the state where they attended college.

What do you think? How well does that profile match your own experience?

If you want to know more about the study and the findings, you can download the report, Education and Tech Entrepreneurship by Vivek Wadha, Richard Freeman, and Ben Rissing, here: http://www.kauffman .org/pdf/ Education_ Tech_Ent_ 042908.pdf

[calpaterson]

I've read this study, and looked at the sources. There's strong selection bias; they aren't accurately selecting startups of the particularly technical kind. Their survey also requires people to respond, of which less than half did.

[jraines]

I'd like to see a similar breakdown of software companies specifically. I'm sure there are more young founders of software startups than hardware, biotech, etc.

[coglethorpe]

I'm in my early 40s and trying to start a business now.