The Founder Premium: Why VCs Pay More for People Who’ve Already Failed

In venture capital markets, a curious pricing anomaly has become standard practice. A founder with one failed startup on their resume commands better terms, faster decisions, and more investor enthusiasm than a first-time founder with identical metrics, a cleaner cap table, and no baggage. The second-time founder premium is real, quantifiable, and increasingly questioned. Yet […]

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In venture capital markets, a curious pricing anomaly has become standard practice. A founder with one failed startup on their resume commands better terms, faster decisions, and more investor enthusiasm than a first-time founder with identical metrics, a cleaner cap table, and no baggage. The second-time founder premium is real, quantifiable, and increasingly questioned. Yet