This Unique Venture Fund Only Invests in Startups Led by Wise People Over 50
'They've seen it all -- they spot opportunities'
Why you should care: Wall Street seeking out and investing in the ideas of inventors 50 and up is an encouraging sign that the wisdom that comes with experience is still valued.
This week, the Wall Street Journal highlighted (subscription required) a venture capital fund that invests only in early-stage tech companies.
The fund's unusual requirement is that the startup founder be at least 50.
It’s called The Brilliant Minds Project.
Success story: Client saves up to 90% on costs
The website features the success story of three brilliant minds it has funded: Baris Saydag, Bina Khimani and Hamza Ak, who are part of the Kinesis team.
They built a platform that taps into unused computing capacity and redistributes it in a secure, cost-effective, and scalable way. Clients can save up to 90% on costs while accessing the resources they need to innovate.
BRILLIANT!
An unusual celebration of middle age
It feels wonderfully encouraging for Vision for Men After 50 to read a business article that gushes about the virtues of my target audience, but that’s what happens here.
How much is wisdom worth? To these investors, a lot.
A colorful headline at the top of the project’s website proclaims this:
Today, humans aren’t built to step aside at 50—they’re here to lead the future.
Young vs. 50+ founders observed and compared
The Wall Street Journal article explains (I put keywords in bold for emphasis) why older company founders with vision are excellent investments.
That’s because older founders have lots of advantages that tend to go overlooked by investors who are obsessed with discovering young talent.
They have connections. They have credibility. They have industry experience, domain expertise and the kind of relationships that can take years to cultivate. They’ve seen it all, so they can spot opportunities that others miss. They know the rules of their business—and how to break them. They also know which problems need to be solved because they have encountered those problems too many times themselves.
On its website, The Brilliant Minds Project clarifies things by comparing and contrasting what it tends to see in young founders and 50+ founders.
Got an idea? Submit it online.
If you know an entrepreneur over 50 with a great idea but not enough money, have them explain it on The Brilliant Minds Project website.Â
If you’re younger than 50, don’t despair. Wait a few years past your half-century mark, and The Brilliant Minds Project will consider funding your idea, too.