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Does having a famous founder guarantee success for startups?

Does having a famous founder guarantee success for startups?

Ever wonder if having a big-name founder means a startup is bound to succeed?
Frederik van Lierde - Jul 05, 2024
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Articles
Picture this: a tech legend steps into a new venture, and everyone expects another blockbuster. But hold on. Just because someone hit it

This article dives into the fascinating world of startups, where past glory can spark excitement but doesn’t always guarantee a win. Curious about why that is?

1. Evan Williams

Success: Co-founder of Twitter
Failure: Medium (though not a complete failure, it hasn’t reached the heights of Twitter and faced numerous challenges)

2. Biz Stone

Success: Co-founder of Twitter
Failure: Jelly (a Q&A app that struggled to gain traction and was eventually sold to Pinterest)

3. Andrew Mason

Success: Founder of Groupon
Failure: Detour (an audio tour company that was sold to Bose and eventually shut down)

4. Max Levchinv

Success: Co-founder of PayPal
Failure: Slide (a social apps company acquired by Google and subsequently shut down)

5. Sean Parker

Success: Co-founder of Napster, early investor and president of Facebook
Failure: Airtime (a video chat startup that failed to gain a significant user base)

6. Drew Houston

Success: Co-founder of Dropbox
Failure: Accolade (an earlier gaming console project that didn’t achieve commercial success)

7. Parker Conradv

Success: Co-founder of Zenefits
Failure: Rippling (though still operational, it faced significant regulatory and operational challenges initially)

8. David Karp

Success: Founder of Tumblr
Failure: UrbanBaby (a social network for parents that didn’t gain much traction)

9. Ben Silbermann

Success: Co-founder of Pinterest
Failure: Tote (a shopping app that was the precursor to Pinterest and didn’t gain traction)

10. Jawed Karim

Success: Co-founder of YouTube
Failure: Youniversity Ventures (an investment fund aimed at helping students start businesses, which did not achieve significant success)

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