Andrew Yeung (@andruyeung)

YC and dropout culture have convinced us the ideal founder is 22, straight out of school, but the data tells a different story. Some interesting data: - An MIT study of 2.7 million US founders found that the average founder was 47 when starting a company that later exited through an acquisition or IPO. - The same study cited that the founders of the fastest-growing 0.1% of U.S. startups were 45 years old on average when they started their companies. - A 50-year-old founder was approximately twice as likely as a 30-year-old founder to produce an acquisition or IPO. - Founders with at least three years of relevant industry experience were twice as likely to build a top-0.1%-growth company as founders with none. So it seems that experience is one of the strongest advantages a founder can have. Two lessons here: 1. It's never too late to start 2. It might actually be TOO early to start; getting work experience is worth considering

My absolute favorite products: - Viktor: our AI employee - Stanley: my AI head of content - Wispr Flow: speaking > typing - Matic: vacuums and mops daily - Endel: generates tunes for focus - Eight Sleep: best sleep I've ever had - Oura + Superpower: tracks vitals and health - Instinct: my personal + business AI assistant What a time to be alive.

Legendary tech rebrands: Sales → GTM Marketing → Growth Freelancer → Fractional executive Executive assistant → Chief of staff Business development → Partnerships Customer support → Customer success Software engineer → Member of technical staff