Age and Experience of High-Tech Entrepreneurs

Abstract

There has been a recurrent debate about the relative importance of age and experience in high-tech entrepreneurship where the uncertainty not to say non-existence of certain markets and products may render knowledge less critical than in established industries. Are the famous entrepreneurs in their early and mid-twenties exceptions? Some recent studies claim that the average age of entrepreneurs is closer to forty years old. We revisited the topic and analyzed not only the age of founders but also their roles when the company reached success and the links with geography, fields of business, value creation and venture capital.