The 5 types of startup founders we all know – and value!

Maybe you are involved with a startup founder every now and then. Don’t you feel they are pretty special people? Most of them are full of courage, determination and ideas. But they couldn’t be more different from each other! To help you see through the founder’s jungle and deal with the various kinds of personalities, we set up a typology of founders. All these types are commonly found in the wild and we are sure you know most of them – or maybe even are one of them? We took a closer look at their lovable quirks and now present to you with a wink: the 5 types of startup founders!

Typical startup founder #1: The Socialite 

The Socialite is easily recognized holding a beer in their hand by default, 4k+ connections on LinkedIn and unused furniture at home. They are talkative people and spend a great part of their time at networking events, meet-up’s and pub crawls. But it’s not just them running to every event, they also want you to join! Besides the distraction, they are extremely helpful when it comes to keeping the fun level up. Everybody needs a Socialite in their life!

Typical startup founder #2: The Technical Genius

The Technical Genius is the king of founders in a world where technical innovations are leading the way. After decades of being in the background behind a businessman, the Technical Genius now can be found at the top of startups. Basically, the whole Silicon Valley was built by these brilliant guys! However, for people outside their field it can be awkward to have a chat with them. But as soon as you get used to single-word answers and cryptic insider jokes, you will love them for their quirkiness and big hearts!

Typical startup founder #3: The Old-Schooler

These are not your typical hoodie-and-beard-Silicon-Valley kind of guys. More the dad-moustache guys actually. But in a good way! The Old-Schoolers call, don’t text, they wear decent clothes, they elaborate formal business plans and are just the ones, who always do things properly. But they also are innovative and move with certainty in the crazy startup world. This way they stay their ground and don’t fall for any trends or hypes. If you want someone reliable, who also enjoys the trust of bankers and corporates, the Old-Schooler is your guy.

Typical startup founder #4: The Hipster Working Bee

Behind every eccentric startup founder there is a strong co-founder Working Bee having his back. They basically live for the company and give all their time and energy for its development. Hence, they don’t feel the need to go home and never miss any pizza orders to the office at 10 pm. The Hipster Working Bees are the backbone of every startup and should be treated kindly. So, if you happen to meet them outside the office (you may identify them by their massive and lovingly cared for beard), buy them a nice pumpkin-spiced latte.

Typical startup founder #5: The Professional Event-Goer

The Event-Goer is the professional version of a Socialite. You see them at Every. Single. Event. But less with a beer in a hand than with a big pack of business cards and wearing their startup t-shirts. They get in for free by promoting the event to their network, sit in the front row and immediately occupy the speaker microphone after the event. Making friends with the Event-Goer is always a good idea! He already did the work to build ties with the decision-makers, who you until now admired from distance.

So these are some of the typical startup founders you see running around in the wild. Okay, maybe we exaggerated a bit. But a little fun never hurt nobody, right? 😉 Do you feel we forgot a typical startup founder? Let us know in the comments, via Twitter or Facebook!