Startup Founders Are Not Rock Stars
But Creative People Make Awesome Entrepreneurs
One of my investor friends has a habit of introducing me as a “rock star.” He means it affectionately, so it’s flattering. It’s just not true. I’m not a startup rock star. I know this because I used to be an actual rock star. For like five minutes. I’ll get to that.
Don’t get me wrong. Not being a startup rock star is a good thing. When investors consider investing in a startup, they don’t want to be writing checks to support the antics of a rock star. Rock stars are moody, flighty, prone to Christ-complexes, and always chasing the dragon of their next ego trip.
Adam Neumann is a rock star. But… he ‘s still attracting investors. So maybe my whole point is moot.
Regardless, you can’t argue that cults of personality come standard with huge servings of both attractiveness and risk. And in my experience, your standard investor wants their risk to be wrapped up in — ideally — an obsessive compulsive psycho nerd.
They want someone who will check everything thrice and push themselves way beyond their limits to make their vision a reality. Someone who eats ultra-boring industry news and next-gen KPIs for breakfast. Someone who is friends with other, more nerdier nerds.
