[John23832]

That's orthogonal to the idea of the piece.

Success can come from working hard at something. Whether you're comfortable working hard at something depends on the risk of doing so.

Lebron James works hard, spends all day getting better at basketball. He also has a cooking staff, training staff, and house keepers.

If I took the same amount of time playing basketball, the same effort, I'd be broke and homeless.

If I come from money, sure I can spend all day working on the nuances of my startup, to the exclusion of all else. My ability to exist is taken care of.

[FloorEgg]

What does "come from money" mean to you?

E.g. is a 26 year old still living with parents (firefighter and nurse) with no seed capital but all living expenses covered "coming from money"?

[John23832]

You're trying to be reductionist, but I'll bite.

That is a living situation which would reduce the risk of going of and starting a startup. That person would not have to worry about working and splitting effort and could totally immerse themselves in their startup endeavors.

However, the scope of money the article is talking about (and that we often see in the founder class), no that would not qualify as coming from money.

Coming from money is not just about the reduction of risk, but also the connections formed by having money.

[FloorEgg]

I'm not trying to be reductionist, I'm trying to nail down a precise shared meaning of the terms that our conversation depends on.

I have seen many founders who come from ivy league, with millions in family seed capital and extensive networks with introductions and connections squander them because they don't prioritize what is most important: they don't embrace uncertainty, discomfort, and struggle. They don't lean into bad news. They don't position themselves as servants to the customer.

I just don't buy that these advantages of reduction of risk are the most important variable in the equation. Ive seen them first hand hinder success as much as they enable it. And they definitely do not gatekeep it.

So if "coming from money" means seed capital and family connections then I stand by my point.

But if "coming from money" means living with parents or spouse who can cover basic living expenses with a frugal lifestyle while the founder focuses on building a business, then with that definition I would have to admin it has a big positive impact.

I guess the crux of my argument here is that founder actions matter an order of magnitude more than seed capital or family connections.