Older Is Better

Older entrepreneurs have accumulated business and life experience, knowledge and skills, social networks, and resources that better equip them for success. They tend to have better social skills and are better able to regulate their emotions, than those younger.

They do have a lower risk to...

Younger entrepreneurs do have some advantages. As a group, they are healthier and tend to have fewer family obligations. They may be less risk-averse, often because they have less to lose. They may also benefit from others’ positive perceptions of them as “youthful”.

But mature-aged...

The biographies of these tech billionaires who achieved great success in their twenties have helped cement the perception that entrepreneurship is a young person’s game.

Such stories are the exception rather than the norm. Starting young can have some clear advantages. For one thing, it gi...

All evidence points to founders being especially successful when starting businesses in middle age or beyond, while young founders appear disadvantaged”.

The “batting average” for creating successful firms rose dramatically with age. A 50-year-old founder was 1.8 times more likely to achiev...

Entrepreneurship may therefore be a viable alternative to mature-aged unemployment.

There is, however, compelling evidence that aspiring mature-aged entrepreneurs require specialized government support and incentives, both to start their businesses and grow their businesses.

Gover...