The technology industry seems to be dominated by young entrepreneurs. However, many middle-aged people conduct their prosperous businesses online. The fact that the average age of the successful founder is around 30-40 years is noteworthy. There are plenty of examples to show that it’s never too late to start a startup. For instance, Jimmy Wales launched Wikipedia of the age of 35; Gordon Bowker founded Starbucks in his 50’s, and Charles Flint created IBM in his early 60’s.
Successful Startup Founders Over 30
Many entrepreneurs began after the age of 30. They never gave up because they believed that it was never too late to start. Here are five the most successful startup companies founded by people over 30.
Thea Runyan is a co-founder of Kurbo-Health. This app helps kids make healthy food choices and provides additional one-on-one support from health coaches. Her passion for healthy kids and her years of experience as a childhood weight-loss mentor inspired her to create an app that gave children equal access to health programs.
Next successful co-founder is Jenna Bilotta, who invented Avocado. This app, built for small networks, comprises of (among the others): private chat, photo sharing, calendars, and lists. Bilotta believes that it is better to choose your path to success rather than to go up through some company’s hierarchy.
Reid Hoffman is another co-founder who started after his 30’s. He is the creator of two of the largest tech companies – LinkedIn and PayPal. The first is a way to develop a career by utilizing social media; the second is a staple in the online marketplace. Hoffman initially wanted to change the world through philosophy, but he soon realized that it was too small for his desires.
Jocelyn Leavitt is another person who began a career after 30. Her app – Hopscotch – helps users, mainly kids, learn the basic logic behind computer programming in a fun way. Leavitt says that it is better to start working on a project rather than waiting for others to come up with a fantastic idea.
The last person in this ranking is Adi Tatarko, co-founder of Houzz. Tatarko mixed Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Amazon to create an online shop focused on home design. Houzz offers a place to browse for design ideas, connect with contractors and interior designers, and buy luxurious furniture and other house-related products, all in one convenient place.
Relationship Between Age and Success
From birth, parents put a lot of effort in the development of their children. Later, when they grow older, they take care of that themselves. They study and take extra classes like singing, running, swimming, etc. to gain skills to be successful in the future. The truth is success largely depends on the industry.
For instance, musical talent appears in the first ten years of life. Famous athletes also often started their careers during their childhood. Most people we know as successful programmers started coding as children. In the tech industry, young age is not necessarily the golden mean. Looking at the biographies of top 100 founders on the Forbes List shows that 35 is the most typical age in which entrepreneurs started world’s top companies.
During a person’s lifetime, the first life crisis tends to begin at the age of 25. When a person graduates college, they feel like a late bloomer. Seeing CEOs younger than them, carrying the burden of parental expectations and so on, and so on – there are plenty of reasons. Regardless, it is important to overcome social pressures and start working on a compelling content for a good startup. Doing so will bring success later in life; it is never too late to succeed.
