Why Grit Beats Ivy League
The Truth About Startup Founders
When you think of a "successful startup founder," what comes to mind? A polished Ivy League MBA? Someone with a resume so impressive it could double as a gilded scroll? Sure, those credentials might look great in a pitch deck or on LinkedIn, but let’s be real—they don’t guarantee squat when it comes to building a startup.
Because startups don’t care about your fancy degrees. Startups are messy, chaotic, and relentless. They chew up weak wills and spit out egos. What truly matters isn’t what school you went to—it’s whether you have the grit, resolve, creativity, and sheer survivor instinct to figure things out.
Founders Need Grit, Not Gold Stars
Let’s set the record straight: an MBA from Harvard or Stanford isn’t useless—it can absolutely teach valuable skills like strategic thinking, financial modeling, and networking. These tools can help a startup founder navigate some of the complexities of scaling a business. But here’s the cold, hard truth: those skills are useless if the founder folds the moment things get tough. And spoiler alert: in startups, things will get tough.
Startups aren’t for the faint-hearted. They’re messy, unpredictable, and relentless. Challenges crop up daily—product failures, cash flow crises, investor rejections, customer complaints, and team conflicts. Fancy credentials won’t stop those things from happening, and they certainly won’t solve them when they do. What will? Grit.
The Grit Factor: What Sets Resilient Founders Apart
A founder with grit has a completely different energy. They’re the ones who:
Stay Up All Night Debugging a Crisis: Whether it’s fixing a catastrophic product bug hours before launch or dealing with a major client walking away, they refuse to quit until there’s a solution.
Burn Through Dozens of Pivots: When the original idea flops, they don’t wallow. They get back to work, experimenting, iterating, and relentlessly searching for the right market fit.
Face Rejection Without Flinching: Investors may say no. Customers may ghost them. Competitors may outmaneuver them. But a gritty founder takes these setbacks in stride, learns from them, and comes back stronger.
These are the founders who aren’t in it for the prestige of being called “CEO” or for the bragging rights of raising a Series A. They’re in it because they’re obsessed with solving the problem they’ve set out to tackle. For them, failure isn’t just a bump in the road—it’s not an option.
Why Grit Matters More Than Credentials
The startup world is full of examples of unlikely founders who defied expectations:
Elon Musk: Before he became a household name with Tesla and SpaceX, Musk started Zip2, a software company, with no business degree in sight. He learned as he went, surviving countless challenges and eventually selling the company for $307 million.
Sara Blakely: The founder of Spanx wasn’t a business school graduate—she was selling fax machines door-to-door before turning a simple idea for better undergarments into a billion-dollar brand.
Richard Branson: Virgin Group’s iconic founder famously dropped out of high school. His grit and boundless creativity—not a fancy education—helped him build a business empire spanning airlines, music, and space travel.
What these founders had in common wasn’t a degree from a prestigious university. It was their tenacity, willingness to learn on the fly, and refusal to back down from seemingly impossible challenges.
Grit in Action: What It Looks Like in the Real World
The beauty of grit is that it manifests in small, relentless acts of problem-solving and perseverance. Consider:
The Founder Who Pivots 20 Times: Many successful companies started as something entirely different. Instagram began as a location-based app called Burbn before the founders pivoted to photo sharing. Slack started as a gaming platform before realizing its internal communication tool was the real opportunity.
The Founder Who Fights to Keep the Lights On: When Airbnb struggled to gain traction, its founders didn’t give up—they famously sold custom cereal boxes to raise cash and stay afloat. That scrappy mentality kept them alive long enough to figure out how to scale.
The Founder Who Learns What They Don’t Know: Instead of relying on their own knowledge, gritty founders seek out experts, devour information, and figure out solutions to problems they’ve never faced before.
Why Investors Should Prioritize Grit Over Glamour
As an investor, it’s tempting to bet on the founder with an Ivy League MBA or a McKinsey pedigree. After all, those credentials feel like safe bets. But if you’re looking for the next breakout success, you need to dig deeper.
Ask yourself:
Has this founder faced adversity? Look for examples of how they’ve handled tough situations in the past. Have they demonstrated the ability to adapt and persevere?
Are they obsessed with solving this problem? Passion fades, but obsession fuels the kind of relentless work ethic needed to survive startup life.
Do they have a track record of figuring things out? Even if it’s outside of startups, evidence of grit—overcoming failures, learning new skills quickly, or creatively solving problems—is a strong predictor of success.
When you invest in grit, you’re betting on a founder who will find a way to navigate through the chaos, no matter what challenges arise.
Grit Isn’t Glamorous, But It Gets Results
Let’s be honest: grit isn’t sexy. It doesn’t look impressive on a LinkedIn profile, and it won’t land the founder on the cover of Forbes overnight. But it’s what makes the difference between a good idea that fizzles out and a scrappy, determined team that turns their vision into reality.
Fancy credentials may open doors, but grit is what keeps those doors open. It’s the long nights, the hard pivots, the rejection-fueled comebacks. It’s the quiet, unrelenting belief that every problem has a solution—and the willingness to do whatever it takes to find it.
So, the next time you’re evaluating a founder, don’t just look at their resume. Look for the fight in their eyes, the resilience in their story, and the creativity in their solutions. That’s where you’ll find the grit—and that’s where you’ll find the founders worth betting on.
Survivor Instinct: The Ultimate Startup Superpower
Startups aren’t neat little case studies with predictable outcomes. They’re brutal, unpredictable, and often downright ugly. A founder’s ability to survive and adapt in this chaos is far more important than their academic pedigree.
Here’s what survival instinct looks like in action:
Problem-Solving on the Fly: When the supplier bails, the product flops, or the funding dries up, great founders don’t panic. They find solutions—even if it means getting scrappy, creative, or downright uncomfortable.
Pushing Through No’s: Rejection is part of the game. Whether it’s a VC passing on a round or a customer saying “no thanks,” successful founders don’t take it personally. They learn, adapt, and keep going.
Pivoting Without Ego: Founders need to know when to let go of a bad idea and pivot to something that works. That requires humility, self-awareness, and the ability to kill your darlings.
Survivor instinct isn’t something you learn in a classroom. It comes from being in the trenches, failing hard, and figuring out how to climb out of the hole.
The “Figure It Out” Gene
The best founders don’t have all the answers when they start—but they have something far more valuable: the ability to figure stuff out. Whether it’s tackling a technical challenge, solving a marketing conundrum, or navigating a logistical nightmare, these founders refuse to let obstacles derail them. They find a way to make it work.
This rare trait—the “figure it out” gene—isn’t about being an expert in everything. It’s about being resourceful, adaptable, and relentless in the pursuit of solutions. Founders with this gene don’t shy away from the unknown; they dive headfirst into it, armed with curiosity, determination, and a willingness to learn.
It’s Not About Knowing Everything, It’s About Learning Anything
A founder doesn’t need to be an engineer, but they need to figure out how to hire the right one. They don’t need a degree in public relations, but they need to learn how to generate buzz for their product. And they don’t need to be financial whizzes, but they must grasp enough to manage their cash flow and impress investors.
The “figure it out” mentality is what drives founders to:
Ask the Right Questions: They may not know the answer, but they know how to ask experts or find resources to guide them.
Seek Knowledge Everywhere: From late-night Googling to devouring books, reaching out to mentors, or even asking AI tools for insights, they’ll leverage every tool in their arsenal to move forward.
Adapt Quickly: When one approach fails, they’re ready to pivot, test alternatives, and learn from the experience.
This relentless curiosity and drive to acquire knowledge are the foundation of successful problem-solving.
The Core Traits of “Figure It Out” Founders
1. They Dive Into the Unknown
Great founders embrace the unfamiliar with open arms. They’re unafraid to jump into areas where they have zero prior experience. Whether it’s learning the basics of coding to understand their team’s challenges, watching YouTube videos to grasp a new marketing strategy, or attending workshops to sharpen their pitch skills, they prioritize progress over perfection.
2. They Learn on the Fly
The startup landscape is constantly shifting—what worked yesterday might not work tomorrow. Customers change, markets evolve, and competition emerges. Founders with the “figure it out” gene thrive in this chaos because they treat every day as a new learning opportunity.
They listen to feedback, absorb data, and iterate on the fly. These founders don’t cling to outdated methods—they adapt and evolve with the circumstances.
3. They Stay Relentless
The path to startup success is littered with obstacles, rejections, and dead ends. Founders who figure it out don’t let setbacks discourage them. When one solution doesn’t work, they try another. And another. And another.
This relentlessness isn’t just about perseverance—it’s about having the stamina to keep testing, failing, and learning until they crack the problem.
Figure It Out in Action: Real-World Examples
Airbnb’s Cereal Hustle
When Airbnb was struggling to stay afloat, its founders didn’t give up. Instead, they got creative and started selling limited-edition cereal boxes (remember Obama O’s and Cap’n McCain?) to generate cash and fund their operations. That scrappy, resourceful mentality kept the company alive long enough to figure out how to scale their platform.Dropbox’s MVP Video
Dropbox’s founder, Drew Houston, didn’t waste time building an expensive prototype. Instead, he created a simple explainer video to showcase the product’s concept. This low-cost solution not only validated market demand but also allowed him to iterate quickly based on feedback.Slack’s Pivot
Slack wasn’t always a communication tool. It started as a gaming platform that didn’t gain traction. Instead of giving up, the team noticed their internal communication tool was far more useful. They pivoted, turned it into Slack, and built a billion-dollar business.
These founders didn’t start with all the answers. But they figured things out by leveraging creativity, resourcefulness, and relentless focus.
Why the “Figure It Out” Gene Matters to Investors
As an investor, you’re not just betting on a product or market—you’re betting on a team’s ability to navigate the unpredictable journey of building a business. Founders with the “figure it out” gene are your safest bet because they:
Find Solutions in Crisis: When things go wrong (and they will), these founders don’t panic. They act.
Maximize Resources: Limited budget? Tight timeline? They’ll stretch every dollar and every minute to find a way forward.
Show Resilience: No matter how many times they’re knocked down, they’ll get back up, learn from the experience, and keep going.
Spotting the “Figure It Out” Gene in Founders
When evaluating founders, look for evidence of this crucial trait:
Past Experiences: Have they overcome challenges in their personal or professional life? Look for stories of resilience, creativity, and problem-solving.
Adaptability: Do they have a history of learning new skills or pivoting successfully?
Action-Oriented Mindset: Do they focus on solutions rather than dwelling on problems?
Ask pointed questions during pitch meetings:
How did they handle their biggest failure?
What’s the most challenging thing they’ve learned on the fly?
What do they do when faced with a problem they don’t understand?
Their answers will reveal whether they have the grit and resourcefulness to navigate the chaos of startup life.
The Difference Between Builders and Pretenders
The “figure it out” gene is what separates true builders from pretenders in the startup world. Builders don’t just talk about solving problems—they dive in and do the work. Pretenders, on the other hand, get stuck when the going gets tough, waiting for someone else to fix the issue.
If you want to invest in a founder who will deliver results, look for the one who’s willing to roll up their sleeves, learn what they don’t know, and keep pushing forward. The tools they need might not be in their hands yet—but they’ll figure out how to find them.
The bottom line? Fancy degrees and glowing resumes don’t guarantee success. But a founder with the “figure it out” gene? That’s someone who can build something real, no matter what obstacles stand in their way.
Why Creativity Is Key (Even in Non-Creative Industries)
When we hear the word "creativity," it’s easy to think of painters, writers, or designers—people in traditionally artistic fields. But in the world of startups, creativity is not optional; it’s critical. A creative founder doesn’t just paint pictures or write catchy taglines—they use ingenuity to navigate challenges, solve problems, and unlock new opportunities.
In startups, creativity means finding unconventional solutions to impossible problems. It’s about tackling the same constraints everyone else faces but finding a way to turn them into unique advantages. It’s not about being the most talented artist in the room—it’s about being the most resourceful thinker.
Creativity in Action: What It Looks Like in Startups
Reimagine Old Problems
Creative founders have a knack for looking at old, tired problems and seeing them in a completely new light. They don’t just tweak the status quo—they flip it on its head.Airbnb: Before Airbnb, hospitality was rigidly defined by hotels and vacation rentals. But the founders reimagined the industry by asking: “Why can’t anyone rent out their spare room or apartment?” The result? A multi-billion-dollar company that transformed how people travel.
Stripe: Online payments were clunky and complicated until Stripe founders Patrick and John Collison reimagined the process, making it seamless and developer-friendly. Today, Stripe powers payments for countless online businesses.
These companies didn’t just improve existing systems—they reinvented them with fresh, creative approaches.
Find Hidden Opportunities
Creative founders excel at spotting opportunities where others see nothing but dead ends. Often, these opportunities lie in untapped niches, overlooked audiences, or unconventional business models.Peloton: Who would have thought people would pay thousands of dollars for an exercise bike with a subscription service? Peloton didn’t just sell fitness equipment—it created a lifestyle and community around its product, tapping into the emotional connection people have with their fitness goals.
Warby Parker: By cutting out the middleman and selling glasses directly to consumers online, Warby Parker turned a niche into a thriving market. Their creative approach to pricing and delivery made eyewear more accessible and fashionable.
Creativity often means finding the intersection of innovation and opportunity where no one else is looking.
Turn Failure into Insight
For creative founders, failure isn’t the end of the road—it’s a goldmine of insights. When something doesn’t work, they don’t see it as a waste of time; they see it as a stepping stone to a better solution.Instagram: Instagram didn’t start as the photo-sharing app we know today. It began as Burbn, a check-in app with a few social features. When the founders realized the check-in feature wasn’t gaining traction, they pivoted and doubled down on photo-sharing. The result? A billion-dollar acquisition by Facebook.
Slack: Before it became a communication powerhouse, Slack was part of a failed gaming startup. Instead of dwelling on the failure, the founders recognized the value in their internal messaging tool—and turned it into their flagship product.
Creative founders see failure as a chance to learn, adapt, and come back stronger.
Why Creativity is Non-Negotiable in Startups
The startup world is unpredictable. Markets change, competitors emerge, and unexpected obstacles appear out of nowhere. Founders who rely solely on traditional methods or textbook strategies are often caught off guard.
Creativity, on the other hand, gives founders the ability to:
Adapt to Change: When a marketing campaign underperforms or a product launch flops, a creative founder can quickly pivot, finding new ways to reach customers or tweak the product.
Do More with Less: Startups often operate with limited resources. Creativity helps founders maximize their impact, finding low-cost, high-reward solutions that others overlook.
Stand Out in Crowded Markets: Creativity isn’t just about problem-solving—it’s also about differentiation. In a world of endless competitors, the ability to stand out with a unique offering or approach is priceless.
Traits of Creative Founders
Not all founders start out as naturally creative thinkers, but certain traits can help foster creativity:
Curiosity: Creative founders are lifelong learners. They’re constantly reading, asking questions, and exploring new ideas—whether it’s in their industry or beyond.
Open-Mindedness: They don’t cling to traditional solutions or ideas just because “that’s the way it’s always been done.” They’re open to experimenting, even if it means taking risks.
Resilience: Creativity often requires trial and error. Founders who are willing to fail (and fail again) are the ones who eventually find breakthrough solutions.
Empathy: Understanding customer pain points is the first step to solving them creatively. Founders who truly listen to their audience are better equipped to develop innovative solutions.
How Investors Can Spot Creativity in Founders
As an investor, you’re not just looking for founders with great ideas—you’re looking for founders with the creative ability to bring those ideas to life. Here’s how to identify creative founders:
Ask About Their Biggest Challenges: How have they solved difficult problems in the past? Look for examples that show resourcefulness and unconventional thinking.
Evaluate Their Approach to Risk: Creative founders often take calculated risks, whether it’s trying a bold marketing strategy or entering an untested market.
Watch How They Handle Feedback: Do they welcome feedback and use it to improve, or do they dismiss criticism? Creative founders view feedback as a tool for innovation.
Observe Their Presentation: Do they bring a fresh perspective to their pitch? Are they clearly thinking about how to differentiate their product or approach?
Creativity: The Startup Superpower
In the high-stakes, fast-moving world of startups, creativity isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. Founders who can reimagine old problems, find hidden opportunities, and turn failure into insight have a massive edge over their competitors.
Whether they’re inventing a new product category, disrupting an established industry, or simply finding clever ways to stretch their budget, creative founders consistently prove that ingenuity and resourcefulness are the ultimate startup superpowers.
Invest in creativity, and you’re investing in a founder who can adapt, innovate, and thrive—no matter what challenges come their way.
When Credentials Do Matter
Let’s be clear: credentials aren’t worthless. In certain industries, they’re not just helpful—they can be essential. Technical expertise, advanced degrees, or a well-established network can provide founders with critical advantages, particularly in complex or heavily regulated sectors.
For example:
Biotech: If you’re developing cutting-edge therapies or medical devices, having a PhD in molecular biology or experience in clinical trials isn’t just nice to have—it’s often a necessity to gain credibility with investors, regulators, and industry partners.
Fintech: Building a financial technology company means navigating a labyrinth of compliance, licensing, and regulatory hurdles. Founders with experience in banking, finance, or legal frameworks have a significant head start.
Deep Tech or AI: Advanced fields like quantum computing or artificial intelligence often require technical founders with expertise in algorithms, engineering, or data science to bring their vision to life.
Credentials can also provide a shortcut to trust. Whether it’s a degree from a top university or a track record in a relevant industry, these markers can give investors and customers confidence that the founder knows their stuff.
The Limits of Credentials
That said, credentials are only part of the equation. They can’t replace tenacity, creativity, or grit—qualities that often make the difference between a startup that flounders and one that thrives. A degree or a professional title might open doors, but it won’t close deals, solve unexpected problems, or weather the inevitable storms of startup life.
Consider this:
A Biotech Founder with No Grit: Even the most credentialed scientist will struggle if they lack the persistence to push through funding challenges, regulatory delays, or failed trials.
A Fintech Founder with No Creativity: Understanding regulations is critical, but finding innovative ways to simplify financial systems or appeal to underserved markets requires a creative approach.
A Deep Tech Founder Who Can’t Build a Team: Expertise doesn’t matter if a founder can’t rally a group of talented people to execute their vision.
Credentials alone won’t make a startup succeed—they’re a foundation, not a finish line.
When Credentials and Grit Align
The magic happens when a founder combines the right credentials with tenacity, creativity, and resolve. A PhD who’s also scrappy and resourceful? That’s the kind of founder who can push a biotech breakthrough through years of clinical trials. A fintech veteran with a knack for solving customer pain points? That’s someone who can navigate regulation while building a product people love.
As an investor, look for founders who balance technical expertise with the ability to adapt, lead, and execute. Credentials may get them in the door, but it’s their grit and ingenuity that will take them to the next level.
What Investors Should Look For
It’s easy to be dazzled by a founder’s shiny credentials—a degree from Harvard, a stint at McKinsey, or a polished LinkedIn profile brimming with accolades. But as impressive as those may be, they’re not guarantees of startup success. If you want to back a founder who will build something truly exceptional, you need to look deeper.
Great founders aren’t just smart or experienced—they’re resilient, resourceful, and relentlessly driven. They’re the kind of people who thrive in uncertainty and find ways to keep moving forward when the odds are stacked against them.
Key Questions to Ask
When evaluating founders, dig beyond their resumes and pitch decks. Look for signs of their ability to navigate the harsh realities of startup life:
1. How Do They Handle Adversity?
The startup journey is full of challenges, from funding rejections to product failures to unexpected market shifts. Founders who have faced—and overcome—significant challenges in the past are far more likely to weather the storms ahead.
Ask them:
Have they experienced a major failure before, and what did they learn from it?
How do they approach problems that don’t have clear solutions?
Can they share a specific instance where they turned a setback into an opportunity?
Founders who can articulate how they’ve bounced back from adversity are more likely to stay the course when things inevitably get tough.
2. Are They Problem-Solvers?
Startups are essentially a series of problems waiting to be solved. The best founders are hands-on, action-oriented, and unafraid to tackle tough challenges. They roll up their sleeves, figure out what needs to be done, and get to work.
Look for evidence of:
Resourcefulness: Do they make the most of limited resources, or do they freeze up when they can’t throw money at a problem?
Adaptability: Can they pivot when their original idea isn’t working, or do they stubbornly cling to it?
Practicality: Are they focused on finding solutions that work, or do they get bogged down in perfectionism?
Ask about specific examples from their past. How did they handle a complex problem that required learning on the fly or thinking creatively?
3. Are They Obsessed?
Passion is nice, but it fades when things get hard. What sets great founders apart is obsession—the all-consuming drive to solve the problem they’ve chosen, no matter what it takes. Obsessed founders live and breathe their business. They’re not just building a company; they’re fulfilling a mission.
Signs of obsession include:
Deep Market Knowledge: They’ve done their homework and can speak at length about their market, customers, and competition.
Personal Stakes: There’s often a personal connection driving their work, like a founder solving a problem they’ve experienced firsthand.
Boundless Energy: They’re constantly thinking about how to improve, grow, or pivot their business.
Ask them:
Why are they building this company?
What motivates them to keep going, even when it’s hard?
Do they spend most of their waking hours thinking about their business—or is it just one of many projects?
Beyond the Pitch: Observing the Intangibles
Founders won’t always spell out their resilience, problem-solving skills, or obsession in a pitch. Sometimes, you have to look for the subtler cues:
How They Respond to Tough Questions: Do they get defensive or approach challenges with curiosity and openness?
Their Level of Preparedness: Have they anticipated potential objections or gaps in their business plan?
Their Energy and Engagement: Are they genuinely excited about their work, or are they just going through the motions?
The best founders exude a sense of determination and purpose that goes beyond their words.
Backing the Right Founders
As an investor, your job isn’t just to evaluate ideas—it’s to assess the people behind them. Ideas can pivot and markets can change, but a founder’s ability to adapt, problem-solve, and persevere is what determines success.
When you find a founder who’s proven their resilience, thrives in uncertainty, and approaches their work with unrelenting obsession, you’ve likely found someone worth betting on. These are the qualities that separate dreamers from doers—and the startups that survive from the ones that truly thrive.
In Conclusion: The Hustlers Win
The startup world isn’t a forgiving place. It doesn’t care about your polished resume, fancy credentials, or connections at elite institutions. Success doesn’t come from an MBA program or a perfect business plan—it comes from hustle, resilience, and the grit to get your hands dirty when things get messy (and they always do).
Startups demand a level of energy and commitment that goes beyond what’s taught in classrooms. They require founders who can outwork, outthink, and outlast the competition. The ones who make it aren’t necessarily the smartest in the room—they’re the ones who refuse to quit, no matter how tough things get.
What Hustlers Look Like
Hustlers are the founders who:
Push Through Rejection: When one investor says no, they knock on ten more doors. When a customer walks away, they find another way to deliver value.
Adapt and Pivot: If the product isn’t working, they don’t cling to a sinking ship—they pivot and iterate until they find something that does.
Roll Up Their Sleeves: They’re not afraid to do the grunt work—whether it’s cold-calling customers, debugging code, or packing boxes at midnight.
These founders don’t coast on prestige or hope that their idea will sell itself. They’re constantly hustling, building, and finding ways to overcome obstacles.
Bet on the Hustler
The next time a founder pitches you, resist the urge to get starry-eyed over their alma mater or the logos on their LinkedIn profile. Instead, dig deeper. Look for the scrappy fighter who’s been in the trenches, solving real problems and pushing past setbacks.
Ask yourself:
Do they have the drive to keep going when things get tough?
Have they shown a history of overcoming challenges?
Are they ready to roll up their sleeves and hustle harder than anyone else?
These are the founders who will figure it out. They may not have all the answers today, but they’ll work relentlessly to find them. That’s the kind of founder who builds real, lasting businesses—and the kind of founder worth betting on.
Because at the end of the day, hustlers win.