Startup Execs Harder To Come By?

from the no-desire-to-take-risks dept

While VCs are back to funding startups, without a really hot IPO market, it seems that many startups are having difficulty attracting top-notch executives. At least that's what the article suggests. Apparently, execs don't necessarily want to jump on the next hot thing, without some form of stability (read: more cash) or a higher likelihood of an IPO (read: potential for a lot more cash). Of course, it sounds like some of the requirements companies are putting out are a bit stringent. I agree that experienced execs are very useful to startups, but too often it seems that startups look for the perfect exec who has done exactly the same thing in the past. Those candidates aren't always the best. They may have gotten lucky in a previous startup and now feel they know everything, while a smarter, hungrier less "experienced" exec may be able to do more to drive a startup forward. Either way, if the IPO market takes off again, it's likely these missing startup execs will return -- and that might not be a good thing. A startup exec who jumps ship just because of the opportunity for a big cash payout isn't always going to be the best person to help build a sustainable company. You want someone who believes in the long-term potential of the company and its vision -- not the short-term potential of an IPO.