My experience: Psychological orphans with a basic income.
"Psychological orphans" i.e. kids who had shitty parents and learned to adapt to survive. Then this behavior became a habit and a game.
"Basic income" i.e. kids from middle and upper middle class backgrounds so there was no food poverty in the family and long term thinking was possible by the kid, even in the context of the dysfunctional setting.
The above is true for me and all of the high growth tech founders I know on a very personal level (could be selection bias in who I connect deeply with though).
My recipe for tech startup founder includes:
1. You were one of the smartest kids at your private school—so you’re opinionated and confident
2. You’re some kind of social misfit with a chip on your shoulder
3. Father is an Engineer, Lawyer, Banker, Doctor
4. Got some private tutoring or coaching at a young age
5. Went to a fancy big-name college
It doesn’t apply to everyone, but during a recent job search I did a little detective work on founders at jobs I was applying for, and this was the large majority of them
Wow, that's a really interesting observation and describes me perfectly. I wouldn't consider myself a "real" entrepreneur, but I've always had a side hustle and I own some rental properties.
I took me until the age of 34 and having kids of my own to realize that my childhood wasn't that great, and that a parent's role should extend beyond just feeding their kids. My upbringing made my hyper-independent, so the desire to make myself completely financially independent basically consumed by 20s. It took me a long time to realize this drive, while useful in my career, came from a very unhealthy place.
Yea, I definitely have seen this same pattern, nice description.
Though there is the "upper class" founder background that still had shitty parents and something to prove, and often they can get really far because of the $ and connections, though often have the issue that their alternative life is a bit "too easy" so they don't execute hard enough / close enough, or they just give up.
"Psychological orphans" i.e. kids who had shitty parents and learned to adapt to survive. Then this behavior became a habit and a game.
"Basic income" i.e. kids from middle and upper middle class backgrounds so there was no food poverty in the family and long term thinking was possible by the kid, even in the context of the dysfunctional setting.
The above is true for me and all of the high growth tech founders I know on a very personal level (could be selection bias in who I connect deeply with though).