# Should we invest in first-time founders?

**Published by:** [Durwin](https://paragraph.com/@durwin/)
**Published on:** 2022-12-21
**URL:** https://paragraph.com/@durwin/should-we-invest-in-first-time-founders

## Content

The very first batch of YC founders went on to make startup history.Just heard one of the top VCs in the world say that they don’t invest in any first-time founders. First-time founders. They are scarier than a migraine on your wedding day. They have little to no real-world experience running a company, much less a startup that is supposed to take over the world. They are typically college dropouts or recent graduates. They have little discipline because they haven’t been through any fires and survived any crises yet. They are eager-eyed and wants to boil the ocean with their little hand-held lighters. And they should be directed to the nearest Startup graveyard for a rude awakening.Heard of https://startupgraveyard.io/?Want to play it safe? Just invest in repeat founders. Serial entrepreneurs. Founders who have some kind of exit or battle experience. Even those who failed but failed spectacularly are a better bet than first-time founders. They have been through the fire, they are more educated on the rigor of starting a company, they are now more keenly aware of what investors are looking for and have a higher probability of success than first-timers. But are all that bad? Does it make sense to risk so much on first-time founders? Well it depends.Is early startup investing akin to high-stakes gambling?Angels who wants to make money from what little investments they have, have a tendency to avoid them. Larger funds who have the buffer and potentially larger war chest also avoid them because the risk of failure is just too unappetising. Maybe friends and families and fools will give you some money just because they like you or hate you enough to stop bothering them. Perhaps government grants and bootstrapping might be better options. That is why the first check you ever receive from your first investor is the sweetest one ever. Because that is a check written by someone who believed in you when you had nothing to show for and they had no reason to give you a cent. So why should we bother wasting time on first-time founders?Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO, believes that investing in early stage founders is crucial for the ecosystem.Well, we bother because startups are the future. They are the promise of betterment, the symbolistic beacon of hope and the acorns that will grow into majestic trees in the future. Startups are the optimistic probabilities of tomorrow. There won’t be a better tomorrow if we stop investing in startups. The future won’t be optimistic if we stop helping first-time founders to grow. So if you can afford it and come across a good one, take a chance on first-time founders. - Should we invest in first-time founders? - #startups #business #startupx #growth #success #socialmedia #culture #web3 #eth #btc #crypto #firstimefounders #founders #faith #seed #acorn #risk #investors #startuplessons

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