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What makes a great founder?

Identifying talent is not easy; however, in saying this, specific attributes  have been defined that make a person more likely to be a great founder.  Academic research, coupled with the experience of startup investors and  founding teams, point to a set of critical traits and skills that great  founders should comprise.

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Antler

Company

April 2, 2018

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When identifying talent that embodies the potential to become great founders,  we look for:

  •  Leadership potential - Ability to manage a team and encourage and motivate  those around them to always strive for more. Understanding of resource  management and optimization, applying excellent people and communication  skills.
  •  Fast learner / quick thinker  – Capacity to grasp new concepts quickly.  Analytical and curious; with inner creativity to make connections between  seemingly unrelated events or situations, with products or services that can  be repurposed into new markets or industries.
  •  Humble - Recognize that they do not know it all and, effectively seeks help  and guidance when needed. Founders acknowledge that ideas are generated  continuously, and so, they are flexible, open-minded and considerate of  adjustments and advice from others.
  •  Drive and Discipline - Have a strong passion for the work and the company.  They exemplify a genuine love for their work and, do not give up when things  are tough. Hard-working and confident that they will make their business  succeed.
  •  Technical or Domain expertise  – Subject matter expert, encompassing previous  experience and knowledge from the field. Acutely aware of own ability and  knowledge limitations and so effectively complements their skill set with that  of other hires.
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    What makes a great founder?

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