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As a European who moved to California the societal stigma around young ambition in Ireland was brutal. When I started my first company in my 20’s and spoke to f
by ddol 3y ago
As a European who moved to California the societal stigma around young ambition in Ireland was brutal. When I started my first company in my 20’s and spoke to friends and family about it a phrase I frequently heard was “ah here, why would you stick your head above the parapet?”[0]
Having seen the kinds of Irish startups that get funding from Irish VCs they both tend to be run by Irish men in their 50’s/60’s who’ve been senior managers at big companies. Having reviewed a couple dozen Irish pitch decks it looks like funding flows based on who you know with little scrutiny given to ideas or even business fundamentals.
[0] https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/put-head-over-above-the-parapet https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/put-h...
- fkcgnad 3y agoAmbition has it's downsides. Risk does not always return with reward and often the reward has a high cost. Such attitudes exist for a good reason. But at the same time the alternative attitude also exists for a good reason.
- CalRobert 3y agoIt was fun for a while but moving to Ireland was a mistake.
- bjornsing 3y agoReminds me of my homeland Sweden.
- pcrh 3y agoHaving been in both the UK and Bay Area, I agree with your points about VCs. However, the average age of tech founders in the US is older than you might expect, being well above 40yrs. Experience does count for something.