Study: Influence of role models and education on start-ups

Equal opportunities in the startup universe. Find out why family background is not just a personal story, but also a crucial factor for startup success - and how this could change the economy for everyone.

Gütersloh, May 7, 2024 - A recently published study by the Bertelsmann Stiftung and the Startup Association sheds light on the importance of family influences on budding entrepreneurs. The study, which surveyed 1,800 founders, shows that the level of education of parents and their professional background have a significant influence on the careers of startup founders.

Academic background shapes start-ups:

The results show that six out of ten founders come from families with at least one parent who has an academic degree. In comparison, the proportion of academics in the overall population in the same age group is significantly lower. In addition, 38% of founders had at least one parent who was self-employed, and 24% even ran businesses with employees.

Family support is the key:

The study shows that as parents, entrepreneurs often act as role models and provide their children with access to valuable networks. As a result, two thirds of founders from entrepreneurial families had contact with other entrepreneurs thanks to their family connections. In contrast, only 14 percent of respondents with a different family background had similar opportunities.

Equal opportunities and potential:

The survey also makes it clear that founders from different social backgrounds have different access to financial resources. While 70 percent of founders with entrepreneurial parents can count on financial support from their family in difficult situations, this figure is only 14 percent for children from working-class families. Despite these differences, there are parallels in the founders' determination and mindset, regardless of their social background.

Conclusion and further thoughts

The study emphasizes the role of role models, networks and financial support in the founding of start-ups. It becomes clear that successful start-ups not only achieve economic success, but can also contribute to promoting equal opportunities. However, to realize the full potential, measures should be taken to improve access to resources and support for aspiring founders from all social backgrounds.

The study provides important insights into the dynamics of the classic startup economy, particularly in relation to the role of family backgrounds and their influence on the success of startups, which are often supported by venture capital. However, there are points that require further investigation. For example, the automatic association of a higher number of employees with a positive outcome should be critically questioned, especially in the context of the family background of the founders. It is possible that founders without a family background in the academic or self-employed sector may run the company differently, for example by using the available capital more efficiently and keeping cash burn low. An in-depth analysis of the differences in terms of the profitability of start-ups would therefore be extremely interesting.

Read the study directly at Startupverband