Mapping Entrepreneur DNA: Global Trends and Startup Stage Comparisons

Entrepreneurs are a unique bunch, but they're not all the same everywhere. At Founder Institute, we get to see the differences among startup founders worldwide, thanks to our presence in over 200 cities.

With our Entrepreneur DNA Assessment, we've analyzed data from more than 175,000 entrepreneurs, uncovering the distinct profiles and dominant personality traits that shape their leadership styles.

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In this post, we’ll delve into some intriguing stats and insights about entrepreneurs in your region.

Global Entrepreneur Traits Distribution

Through our research, we've identified 26 dimensions of entrepreneurship. These qualities encompass a wide range of traits and skills, from Risk Tolerance to Perseverance and innovation to Management. We've tracked how founders score in these areas on a global scale, providing a view of what makes entrepreneurs tick in different parts of the world.

Achievement:

• Johannesburg and Harare stand out with the highest average scores in Achievement, indicating strong performance in achieving goals.

• Kingston and Kampala also show high achievement averages, reflecting a trend in these African cities towards high accomplishments.

  

Adaptability:

• Tokyo has the highest average in Adaptability, indicating strong flexibility and adaptability to change.

• Frankfurt and Buenos Aires also score high in Adaptability, suggesting a significant ability to adjust to new conditions.

Agreeableness:

• Porto Alegre and Salvador have the highest scores in Agreeableness, reflecting a strong tendency towards cooperative and social harmony.

• Luanda also shows a high agreeableness score, demonstrating a highly agreeable population.

Assertiveness:

• San Jose and Belgrade lead in Assertiveness, suggesting a strong assertive behavior in these cities.

• Rome and Ankara also score high in Assertiveness, pointing a significant level of determination.

Autonomy:

• Luanda and Melbourne show high autonomy scores, revealing a strong sense of independence.

• Auckland and Lisbon also score high in Autonomy, suggesting a strong preference for self-governance.

Collaboration:

• Cordoba and Buenos Aires have the highest collaboration scores, indicating strong teamwork and mutual efforts.

• Salvador and Bogota also score high in Collaboration, reflecting a cooperative culture.

Competitiveness:

• Jakarta and Panama City show high Competitiveness scores, indicating a strong competitive nature.

• Algiers and Rome also score moderately high in Competitiveness, suggesting a competitive environment.

Curiosity:

• Belo Horizonte and Sao Paulo have the highest scores in Curiosity, reflecting a high level of inquisitiveness.

• Valencia and Tokyo also show high Curiosity scores, indicating a strong interest in exploring new ideas.

Decisiveness:

• Frankfurt and Rome lead in Decisiveness, suggesting a strong ability to make decisions quickly and effectively.

• Zurich and San Diego also score high in Decisiveness, uncovering decisive behavior.

Dependability:

• Guadalajara and Porto Alegre show high Dependability scores, showcasing a reliable and trustworthy population.

• Caracas and Belo Horizonte also score high in Dependability, reflecting a loyal community.

Emotional Control:

• Douala and Harare have the highest scores in Emotional Control, indicating strong emotional regulation.

• Rio de Janeiro and Colombo also show high Emotional Control scores, reflecting a population with good emotional management.

Innovation:

• San Jose and San Diego lead in Innovation, suggesting a strong focus on new ideas and creativity.

• Tokyo and Hong Kong also score high in Innovation, indicating a strong culture of innovation.

Intuition:

• Barcelona and Cordoba show high intuition scores, reflecting a strong reliance on intuition.

• Nur-Sultan and Tokyo also score high in Intuition, speaking for intuitive decision-making.

Management:

• San Jose and Guadalajara lead in Management, suggesting strong leadership skills.

• Cordoba and Sao Paulo also show high management scores, indicating effective management practices.

Motivation:

• Johannesburg and Douala show high Motivation scores, hinting at a highly driven population.

• Bangkok and Rio de Janeiro also score high in Motivation, indicating strong motivation levels.

Optimism:

• Frankfurt and Zurich lead in Optimism, suggesting a positive outlook.

• Tokyo and San Francisco also score high in Optimism, exposing an optimistic population.

Patience:

• Munich and Rome show high Patience scores, indicating a tolerant and perseverant population.

• Helsinki and Ulaanbaatar also score high in Patience, speaking for a calm attitude.

Perseverance:

• Bangalore and Cordoba lead in Perseverance, suggesting strong resilience.

• Hong Kong and Guadalajara also show high Perseverance scores, indicating a persistent population.

Planning:

• Zurich and Frankfurt have the highest scores in Planning, reflecting strong strategic thinking.

• Most of the remaining cities in the top 10 are in LATAM.

Proactivity:

• Bogota and Valencia show high proactivity scores, indicating a enterprising approach.

• Most of the top 50 cities are in Europe and North America.Reflection:

• Salvador and Porto Alegre lead in Reflection, suggesting a strong tendency towards reflection and thoughtful consideration.

• San Jose and Frankfurt also score high in Reflection, indicating a reflective population.

Risk Tolerance:

• Entrepreneurs in Santiago and Cordoba exhibit high-risk tolerance, showing a willingness to take calculated risks for potentially high rewards.

• The top four cities are all in LATAM.

Self Reliance:

• Mumbai and Helsinki lead in self-reliance, highlighting a strong sense of independence and self-sufficiency among entrepreneurs in these cities.

• Three of the top 10 cities are situated in India.

Social Skills:

• According to the test, startup founders in Almaty and Porto Alegre are best at communicating, which can help them network and build a community efficiently.

• Only two of the top 10 cities are in the U.S.

Trust:

• Chicago and Auckland have the highest trust scores, suggesting a high level of trustworthiness and reliability among entrepreneurs in these cities.

• The majority of the top 10 cities are in the U.S.

Regional Variability in Profiles:

Different combinations of entrepreneur traits and levels form nine entrepreneurial personality profiles: The Hustler, The Innovator, The Machine, The Prodigy, The Strategist, The Visionary, The Architect, The Inventor, and The Achiever. 

Below you can find a compilation of insights we’ve collected after examining founder stats from all around the world: 

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• Africa has a notable percentage of The Prodigy profiles (17.97%), which is significantly higher than other regions.

• Australia has a high percentage of Innovators (17.57%), indicating a strong inclination towards innovation in that region.

• Canada stands out with a higher percentage of Visionaries (16.58%), suggesting a an emphasis on creative thinking.

• Europe has a relatively balanced distribution, but The Innovator (15.35%) and The Inventor (13.85%) profiles are more prevalent.

• LATAM leans slightly towards the The Strategist (14.25%) and The Innovator (14.80%) profiles.

• The Middle East has a higher proportion of The Strategist (14.53%) and The Inventor (11.62%) profiles, suggesting a focus on structured and inventive characteristics.

• The U.S. has a significant percentage of Innovators (15.95%) and Visionaries (14.36%), reflecting a strong culture of novelty and forward-thinking.

Curious Global Trends:

• Across all regions, The Innovator profiles have the highest average percentage (14.53%), indicating a global trend toward innovation.

• The Prodigy (15.24%) and The Machine (13.54%) profiles are also common, suggesting a global emphasis on problem-solving and action-oriented attitudes.

• The least common profiles globally are The Hustler (7.55%) and The Architect (8.07%), which might indicate less focus on social awareness and disciplined thinking.

Stage Analysis:

Founders who participate in FI’s Core Accelerator receive scores from their directors, mentors, and peers before, during, and after the program. That’s how we have gathered data on entrepreneur traits correlated with startup success over time. Here are some interesting highlights:

• High Risk Tolerance is positively likened to better mentor progress reviews and composite scores. Founders willing to take calculated risks tend to receive favorable evaluations from mentors, indicating stronger progress in their startups.

• Founders with high Autonomy tend to perform better in mentor idea reviews, suggesting that independent thinking and self-direction are valued attributes in early-stage idea validation.

• Autonomy is crucial across different stages of development. Early-stage startups often require founders to make independent decisions and pivot quickly, while later stages might benefit from a balance of Autonomy and Collaboration.

• Strong Social Skills correlate with higher program director scores. Founders who can effectively communicate and network are likely to receive better evaluations from their program directors.

• Founders who score high on Agreeableness tend to maintain better overall health of their companies.

• Proactivity shows a significant correlation with positive mentor idea reviews, indicating that founders who take initiative and anticipate needs tend to perform better during idea evaluations.

Educational Background Trends:

• Graduates tend to score higher in Adaptability, Assertiveness, Decisiveness, Dependability, Innovation, Intuition, and Proactivity. However, graduates tend to have lower Patience and Planning scores, suggesting that while they are dynamic and forward-thinking, they might struggle with long-term perseverance and detailed planning.

Fundraising Founder Traits:

• Fundraising founders generally have higher Management scores, indicating strong organizational and leadership abilities.

• Fundraising founders tend to have lower Collaboration and Agreeableness scores, which could mean they are more competitive and individualistic.

• Despite lower Collaboration and Agreeableness, fundraising founders exhibit strong Social skills, essential for networking and convincing investors.

• Higher Achievement scores are associated with better fundraising capabilities, reflecting a strong drive to meet and exceed goals.

Founders' Traits for Startup Survival:

• High scores in these traits are positively correlated with keeping startups alive, indicating that determined: High Assertiveness, Autonomy, Innovation, Motivation, Patience, and Perseverance.

• Interestingly, lower scores in these areas are linked with higher chances of survival: Adaptability, Collaboration, Curiosity, and Management.

Understanding the key traits and profiles of successful entrepreneurs can significantly enhance your startup journey. Whether it's leveraging your strengths in Planning, Proactivity, Reflection, Risk Tolerance, or Self-reliance, knowing your entrepreneurial DNA can guide you toward better decision-making and strategic growth. This knowledge helps in aligning your capabilities with the right opportunities, increasing your chances of success.

Understanding the traits that matter most can help you uncover your entrepreneurial strengths and propel your startup to new heights. 

Visit https://dna.fi.co/ to discover your unique entrepreneurial traits and profile today.

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The Founder Institute is the world’s most proven network to turn ideas into fundable startups, and startups into global businesses. Since 2009, our highly-structured accelerator programs have helped entrepreneurs raised over $1.75BN in funding across over 200 cities worldwide.

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