There's been some interesting research on what characteristics successful founders have (actually, the research was on what successful VCs look for in founders,

There's been some interesting research on what characteristics successful founders have (actually, the research was on what successful VCs look for in founders, so maybe the extrapolation is unwarranted, but... research!) Here's Geoff Smart's Phd thesis (Management Assessment Methods in Venture Capital: Toward a Theory of Human Capital Valuation): http://www.ghsmart.com/media/press/methods_in_venture_capital.pdf http://www.ghsmart.com/media/press/methods_in_venture_capita... And a simpler overview [pdf]: http://www.ghsmart.com/media/press/human_capital.pdf http://www.ghsmart.com/media/press/human_capital.pdf And, he wrote a book called "Who", but he generalized the research to hiring anybody. Still a good book. TL;DR: VCs who hire people that have successful experience doing what they plan to do end up getting the best ROI. VCs who hire people based on their gut ("I like the cut of your jib!" keeps popping into my head as I write this) do worst. The simpler overview is interesting reading.