Perception of Founders's Age and Gender in Startups

Abstract

I look at the perception of the age of startup founders. I find that founders in their early thirties are less likely to succeed and get funded and more likely to abadon. Females rated female founders aged 32,33 as consistently lower than 22,23 year old female founders in the probability of success. Males in their early twenties were more likely to abandon their startup than females in their early forties. This points to a stronger perceived bias within females than with the general population which could have social reasons. Male respondents felts that 32,33 year old male founders were more likely to abandon their startup as compared to 32,33 year old females. This research suggests specific steps for founders while pitching to customers/buyers.

Keywords: perception, gender, startup, entrepreneurship, funding