The Startup World’s Favorite Wealth Illusion?

Written By Ryna Mi

The Sakura Blossom Effect

The Myth of Fast Success and the Age Bias in Entrepreneurship

For decades, venture capitalists have placed their bets on young founders.

Youth = Innovation = Success.

Venture capitalists chase 20-something founders, convinced that raw energy, fast execution, and “disruptive thinking” are what drive big wins. And to be fair—there are plenty of success stories that reinforce this belief:

  • Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook at 19.

  • Steve Jobs co-founded Apple at 21.

  • Evan Spiegel started Snapchat at 23.

But here’s the twist—so can older founders. And research suggests they might actually have an even greater edge.

A recent Wall Street Journal article "The Investor Betting on People in Their 50s and 60s—Because Older Is Better" highlights a growing shift in the startup world: seasoned entrepreneurs are outperforming their younger counterparts. One investor, Katerina Stroponiati, is actively backing founders in their 50s and 60s, betting on their wisdom, industry knowledge, and deep networks—the very assets that compounding time creates.

And the numbers back her up.

Sakura Flowers, open sources

The Data Facebook Rarely Talks About: Older Founders Often Win More

A National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) study analyzing 2.7 million U.S. startups found that:

  • The average successful founder is nearly 42 years old.

  • A 50-year-old founder is nearly twice as likely to build a high-performing company as a 30-year-old.

Further research from MIT Sloan revealed that among firms in the top 0.1% in terms of growth, the average founder’s age is 45.

A Harvard Business Review analysis also found that entrepreneurial performance increases with age, showing that while younger founders may move fast, older founders build more enduring companies with higher long-term success rates.

Even a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute study confirmed that entrepreneurs who launch businesses in their 50s are just as successful—if not more—than those in their 20s.

Why? Because older founders bring pattern recognition, financial stability, and stronger networks—all factors that increase the likelihood of long-term success.

The message is clear: startup success isn’t about age—it’s about the right combination of insight, execution, and adaptability.

Fast Wealth vs. Slow Wealth: The Real Game

The startup world’s obsession with young founders mirrors another flawed financial myth:

➡ “Build wealth fast. Exit early. Retire young.”

This exit-driven mentality fuels the idea that wealth must be built in a high-speed, high-stakes environment—chasing quick growth, massive valuations, and early retirements.

But the real economy isn’t built on venture-backed startups.

According to the Conway Center for Family Business, ~ 65% of U.S. GDP comes from family-run businesses, not venture capital unicorns. These businesses:

  • Operate for generations—not just one investment cycle.

  • Prioritize resilience over risky moonshots.

  • Grow through stewardship—not hype.

Most of the wealth that actually lasts isn’t built in five-year exit plans—it’s built over decades.

The Cherry Blossom vs. The Copper Beech: 2 Models of Wealth

🌸 Fast Wealth = The Sakura Blossom Effect

  • The world adores cherry blossoms. They bloom in breathtaking beauty, attracting admiration and celebration.

  • But here’s the thing — most sakura trees don’t produce cherries.

  • They’re grown for spectacle, not substance—a fleeting display of beauty that vanishes within weeks.

  • Just like VC-backed startups, they explode onto the scene, dominate headlines, then disappear.

🌳 Slow Wealth = The Copper Beech Tree (as referenced by @James E. Hughes Jr.)

  • In contrast, the copper beech grows deep roots, stands strong for centuries, and enriches the ecosystem around it.

  • It doesn’t rush, doesn’t chase attention, but it endures.

  • It builds wealth not in moments, but in generations.

➡ And that’s the illusion of fast wealth—people chase the beauty of the cherry blossom, forgetting that it doesn’t bear fruit.

Retirement Is a Myth — Just Like "Fast Wealth"

For decades, we were told life follows a linear path:

  1. Learn (0-25)

  2. Work & Earn (25-60)

  3. Retire & Relax (60+)

This model is just as flawed as the startup exit myth — it assumes that time is something to race through, then opt out of.

But if we stop seeing time as a countdown clock, we realize:

  • Retirement or exit isn’t the goal — "life" capitalization is

  • Entrepreneurship isn’t an age game — it’s a strategic one.

  • The slow game is actually the fastest path to lasting wealth.

And now, AI adds to the equation...

The AI Twist: Why The Slow Game Wins Even More

Traditionally, young founders had an advantage because they could work harder — grinding 100-hour weeks, scaling fast, and iterating endlessly.

But today?

🔹 AI makes execution about intelligence, not sheer hustle.

🔹 Experienced founders can automate, delegate, and scale faster than ever.

🔹 The real advantage isn’t youth — it’s knowing how to use the right "tools".

And here’s where it gets interesting:

The Sakura model of fast wealth required endless capital—fundraising, hiring, scaling. But the Copper Beech Tree model of sovereign wealth compounds intelligence, not just money.

Which means…

🚀 Founders no longer need as much capital to build fast.

🚀 The best founders today aren’t the youngest — they’re the smartest.

And if the old VC model was "fund the young because they need resources," today’s world is shifting toward "bet on experience because they need fewer resources."

The New Wealth: Timeless Human Capital in the AI Era

AI is changing the game—not by making younger founders obsolete, but by making human qualities more valuable than ever.

  • Emotional intelligence, wisdom, and deep expertise—once undervalued—are now key differentiators.

  • Adaptability, networks, and strategic insight—often honed over decades—are becoming more important than brute-force hustle.

  • Longevity itself is shifting the wealth paradigm—with careers spanning 60+ years, the ability to navigate multiple reinventions is now an asset.

Some of the world’s most legendary entrepreneurs launched their most successful ventures later in life, and that's even pre-AI:

  • Reid Hoffman co-founded LinkedIn at 43.

  • Arianna Huffington launched The Huffington Post at 55.

  • Harland Sanders didn’t start franchising KFC until he was 62.

  • Bob Parsons founded GoDaddy in his late 40s.

➡ Wealth is no longer just financial capital — it’s also the ability to adapt, apply experience, and stay relevant in a world where AI is automating what was once scarce.

So, what if we take the Copper Beech as an inspiration and:

💡Start looking at wealth systems as dynamic, adaptive, and multi-generational.

💡Start recognizing that sustainable success comes from compounding the right assets—not just financial ones, but experience, relationships, knowledge, and time itself.

💡 Start rethinking wealth in a world where time, experience, and adaptability matter more than ever.

And if you’re in your 50s or 60s?

🔹 You’re not at the end — you’re just hitting your prime.

Ryna Mi
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