Failed founders I would totally back again
- They truly put everything they had into the company, even if the company ultimately didn’t work out
- They stayed in close communication with me through thick and thin, showing honesty and transparency
- They took real lessons from their journey, and yet are not rushing into starting another company, suggesting their motivation isn’t coming from money, ego, or revenge, but from genuine desire to solve a problem and make the world a better place. They know how to wait until the right moment
- They’re still hungry for success; the failure of the last company only made them even hungrier. Success will inevitably come find them, we just don’t know how many attempts it will take
Failed founders I don’t think I’ll back again
- They’re simply not strong founder material yet. They may be great operators or excellent hashtag#2s, but not ready to be a CEO yet – even if people around them keep saying “you should totally do it again”
- Through the last company, they showed tendency of sugarcoating things or not being fully transparent
- They overly emphasize how much they “did everything they could” to save the company. If they truly did, everyone around them knows, they don’t need to really advertise it
- They don’t have a strong support system around them – good cofounders/team members, or the necessary support from the family (if married)