👋 Hi, I’m Andre and welcome to my weekly newsletter, Data-driven VC. Every Tuesday, I publish “Insights” to digest the most relevant startup research & reports, and every Thursday, I publish “Essays” that cover hands-on insights about data-driven innovation & AI in VC. Follow along to understand how startup investing becomes more data-driven, why it matters, and what it means for you.
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Data Engineering is no longer just a backstage player but is taking center stage in the VC space. It is about constructing and maintaining the architectures (think databases, large-scale processing systems) that allow for data availability - a cornerstone for insightful analysis and well-informed decisions.
Turning raw data into usable outputs and insights has great use cases for deal sourcing, due diligence, or portfolio monitoring. Dive deeper into this video, where we break down the impact of data engineering on the VC industry.
This is the second episode of my new “INSIGHTS” series. I’ll publish it every Tuesday and it comes in two alternating formats:
“DIGEST” the most interesting startup research & reports from the previous two weeks. We read all reports, studies, and papers about startups and the wider ecosystem, and condense the most important insights for you. The only source you need to keep up with data-driven startup insights.
“SYNTHESIZE” all available research to create a deep knowledge base for various startup topics such as success criteria, founder backgrounds, hiring playbooks, salary benchmarks, cap table structures, and more. The only source you need to understand any specific startup topic.
Last week was the first DIGEST and today, we continue with SYNTHESIZE#1.
How Important Is Founder Education in Startup-Land?
When it comes to navigating the often murky waters of pre-seed and seed investing in startups, investors constantly seek solid ground in the form of reliable success indicators.
One of the few (at least somewhat) quantifiable indicators that investors have at their disposal is the academic education of the founder. Specialization through academic research can be a crucial differentiator in a startup's early stages, where technical expertise and innovative approaches to problem-solving are invaluable.
Additionally, a founder's educational background can offer insights into their ability to navigate complex challenges, adapt to new learning, and leverage academic networks to propel their venture forward. This multifaceted impact underscores why the academic credentials of founders are not just a footnote but a significant chapter in the story of startup success.
Delving into the connection between founder education and startup success, the longitudinal study “Beyond the Startup Stage: The Founding Team’s Human Capital, New Venture’s Stage of Life, Founder–CEO Duality, and Breakthrough Innovation” offers compelling evidence for the significance of this relationship.
It shows that founders with a diverse (combination of different fields) and rich (deep specialization) educational background, especially those with prior entrepreneurial experience, have a higher likelihood of leading their companies to achieve innovative breakthroughs as measured by patents.
✈️ KEY TAKEAWAY
The study suggests that educational diversity among the founding team is not merely advantageous but a critical factor in a startup's journey. In the earliest stage of a company, the founding team and their background are the strongest data points when deliberating the future of a company. Education is the top factor, tied with or slightly surpassed by prior founding experience.
The Talent Magnet: Education's Role in Assembling A-Teams
One intriguing chapter yet to be fully explored in the narrative of founder education is its impact on attracting top talent. Despite the spotlight on funding and innovation, the correlation between a founder's academic credentials and their ability to assemble stellar teams remains under-researched and inconclusive.
Based on my own experience of working with early-stage startups, I can only quote Steve Jobs: "A players attract A players, but B players attract C players." While the uniqueness of A players can be assessed through various dimensions, education and academic credentials are certainly crucial, specifically in the absence of previous founding experience.
✈️ KEY TAKEAWAY
The data is inconclusive but my experience with exceptional founders tells me that outstanding academic credentials help attract the best available talent early on. To all researchers out there, this is a kind call to action. Please show us the data ;)
Founder Education and Fundraising
Fundraising, a pivotal skill for founders, is closely linked to the CEO's educational background. The empirical study “Factors influencing the fundraising process for innovative new ventures” reveals that startups led by CEOs with higher education, especially those with MBAs, have a stronger ability to attract funding.
This suggests investors value formal business education in their decision-making. However, the impact of education on fundraising and venture survival is nuanced. While business management expertise and academic credentials are key to drawing external investment, technological expertise alone doesn't have the same pull.
For a startup's survival, both business acumen and technical skills are crucial, highlighting a distinction between what attracts investment and what sustains a company. Interestingly, a founder's academic status boosts fundraising efforts but doesn't directly influence the venture's longevity.
✈️ KEY TAKEAWAY
Education level (and field of study) plays a major role in a founder’s ability to raise funds. It has a stronger influence than even technical expertise but it does not correlate with venture outcomes.
Founder Education and Exit Potential
When it comes to the impact of founders' education on startup exits, the data presents a complex picture. While higher education credentials seem to help with fundraising, a study of over 13k startups reveals that this correlation does not necessarily translate to higher exit success or reduced failure rates, challenging the assumption that educational credentials alone make for a safer investment.
A prior exit seems to be the best predictor for an exit, not academic education (although education ranks second).
Contrastingly, an analysis of VC-backed US startups from 1990 to 2010 offers a different perspective. Individuals with formal business education founded a significant portion of these startups, and a notable trend emerged: those with MBA-holding executives at the helm not only showed better exit outcomes but were also more inclined to retain these founders as CEOs post-IPO.
This suggests that while founder education might not directly predict exit success across the board, in the realm of VC-backed ventures, MBAs contribute positively to both leadership stability and exit potential.
However, it's important to note that some studies indicate academic startups may even face slightly lower exit probabilities, hinting at the nuanced role of education in startup dynamics.
Yet, there's a clear link between founder education, R&D intensity, and patent output, which can enhance a company's attractiveness as an M&A target, suggesting that the value of education may indeed lie in its contribution to a startup's innovative capacity rather than its direct impact on exit outcomes.
✈️ KEY TAKEAWAY
The best indicator for an exit scenario is a founder’s prior exit, education being the second-best. Keep in mind that there is an overlap between the analyzed categories and that the education considered is doctoral/PhD level for this study. A second study purports that academic founders do more R&D, produce more patents, and thus create companies that are more attractive M&A targets.
Summary
The intricate dance between founder education and startup success reveals a nuanced but undeniable correlation. Education, especially when diverse and specialized, serves as a crucial lever in the early and growth stages of a startup, enhancing its ability to innovate and secure funding. Yet, it's not a silver bullet. The path from funding to exit is fraught with variables, where the prestige of an MBA can shine in attracting investors but does not guarantee exit success.
What stands out is the multifaceted value of education—it's not merely the knowledge acquired, but the doors it opens. Networks formed and the serendipitous meetings within academic halls can be just as pivotal as the curriculum itself. Moreover, cognitive abilities and entrepreneurial experience often eclipse the raw signal of academic credentials in predicting a venture's success.
To Founders: Your education is a foundation, not just for innovation but for building the networks essential for your venture's growth. Embrace it, but also seek out diverse experiences and cultivate the soft skills and relationships that your academic environment offers. Remember, in the dynamic startup landscape, adaptability and a robust network often mark the path to success.
If you enjoyed this new format, leave a like, comment, and share this episode with your friends. If you don’t like it, you can always update your preferences to receive just the regular Thursday “Essays”, just the new Tuesday “Insights”, or both.
Thanks to Jérôme Jaggi for his help with this post.
Stay driven,
Andre
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Thanks for the detailed overview. It made me reconsider my thoughts on having an MBA degree :)
I wonder though if it’s the MBA itself that increases the chances, or the correlation happens because people who WANT to do an MBA, have the needed skills/mindset in the first place.
An interesting study would be to take a group of 100 MBA students right before start, and make 50 of them change their mind and not do it, and then see how it goes 😂