Age and High-Growth Entrepreneurship
April 2018
Working Paper Number:
carra-2018-03
Abstract
Many observers, and many investors, believe that young people are especially likely to produce the most successful new firms. We use administrative data at the U.S. Census Bureau to study the ages of founders of growth-oriented start-ups in the past decade. Our primary finding is that successful entrepreneurs are middle-aged, not young. The mean founder age for the 1 in 1,000 fastest growing new ventures is 45.0. The findings are broadly similar when considering high-technology sectors, entrepreneurial hubs, and successful firm exits. Prior experience in the specific industry predicts much greater rates of entrepreneurial success. These findings strongly reject common hypotheses that emphasize youth as a key trait of successful entrepreneurs.
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:
researcher,
growth,
invention,
corporation,
entrepreneurial,
startup,
venture,
entrepreneur,
entrepreneurship,
investor,
proprietor,
innovation,
inventory,
wealth,
funding,
founder,
earner
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Census Bureau Longitudinal Business Database,
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Initial Public Offering,
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North American Industry Classification System,
Patent and Trademark Office,
Social Security Number,
Longitudinal Employer Household Dynamics,
Business Register,
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Census Numident,
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Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs
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