That sounds like an interesting idea, but I'm thinking that the line between success and failure is composed of luck and interpersonal relationships. Most of t

That sounds like an interesting idea, but I'm thinking that the line between success and failure is composed of luck and interpersonal relationships. Most of the stories in FaW involve meeting a key person, an important external event or being in the right place at the right time. It's very hard for someone to say "Well if we had talked more with this one person, I think that we would have stumbled into a great situation a few years later" Likewise I've seen a lot of situations where personal relationships make the difference. Two founders disagree and one of them just has to be "right", even if there is evidence that their plan isn't best for the company. So maybe you can work out the characteristics of failed startups by looking at the inverse of the characteristics of successful startups. I'm thinking that they would be: don't be committed to the product, don't explore every relationship and don't have an open mind about new opportunities.