Top VC Experienced Founders Have 2.83 Times Higher Odds of Leading Investments

Menlo Ventures partner Deedy Das analyzed 8,525 U.S. startups founded between 2019 and 2026 using Harmonic data, examining 63 founder background characteristics. The results showed that founders with experience at top VC firms have approximately 2.83 times the odds of leading investments compared to others with similar conditions, ranking first. Founders who have worked in cutting-edge AI labs and those with backgrounds in the cybersecurity industry achieved odds of 2.16 and 2.03, respectively. A background from top universities provided odds of 1.41, while former Google employees had odds of 1.29. Former VC employees include investors, resident entrepreneurs, researchers, and interns, with some incubating projects within the fund. The study also listed negative correlating factors, showing that founders with an MBA have odds of 0.65 for leading investments from top VCs; those educated in China have odds of 0.59; and the oldest founder in a team being over 50 years old results in odds of 0.57.

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