Are you a 30+ entrepreneur? Did you know you’re past it
by Martin Neumann ~ June 17th, 2007
Fred Wilson has “reluctanty” written a post basically saying that if you’re over 30 then forget about being innovative and gaining any funding from our VC friends.
In his view, it’s all about young entrepreneurs.
Pardon my French, but what a load of bullshit!
Even TechCrunch blogger, Duncan Riley, takes him to task.
Fred Wilson thinks nothing good comes from people over 30, that only kiddies can produce great Web 2.0 companies. Fred Wilson can kiss my ass.
Wilson harps on about us oldies and our paradigms (like we can’t change or paradigms!!!) of using and being tied down by old media - ie: we’re so set in our ways we are incapable of innovation in today’s “web 2.0″ world. Only the kiddies can do it.
As a collective we can’t, or don’t want to, break of our “set in stone” paradigms.
Come on Fred! Take some time out and think about this more.
What people like Fred Wilson doesn’t seem to grasp is that the world is a different place from what it was five or even ten years ago. We’re living in a very fragmented marketplace - one that is being dominated by many niches … yes! even niches aimed at us 30-something oldies.
A web product/service targeted at 30+ might not excite those producing flashy, glitzy web 2.0 goodies that venture capitalists simply drool over (even though many don’t really have a solid business plan - remembering that business is about making some revenue and yes, even a profit - yes I know it’s old school but the facts remain - business is about making money).
But you know what, I’d take a 30+ entrepreneur who has lived a little (ie: knows a market, knows a target audience, knows how to turn an idea into a revenue producing business) over a pimply faced teenager with starry eyes (and with one eye on a massive Google payout one day done the track).
Mr Wilson should take a good hard look around him - age means nada - it’s the idea and potential that count.
Being in my 30’s myself, I take no offense to his views, but just pity those who dump the “older” entrepreneur into the rubbish. It’s their loss and our gain.
July 26th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
99% of innovative thinking is common sense. Being 55 myself, I’d be willing to challenge anyone under 30 to a common sense match any day (or night) of the week.
To produce useful and profitable products, you need to understand people and how they think. That takes experience my friend!
I realize you were just rooting for the 30+ gang, but you inadvertently gave us “real” old timers a boost too :)
Thanks!