Press release
Successful startups are led by experienced
entrepreneurs
Data research reveals success factors of fast-growing
startups
Rotterdam, 14 September 2015 – Experienced leadership, a concept designed for
scalability and timing, is the most important factor influencing fast-growing startups,
also known as scale-ups. Only 1 out of 200 startups become a scale-up valued over
$10 million within 5 years. THNK and Deloitte conducted quantitative research to
analyze the dynamics and characteristics of 400.000 startups.
Scale-ups are new enterprises with innovative products, services or business models that
grow on to become large corporations. Valued at over $10 million within their first 5 years of
existence, these enterprises garner a huge amount of employment while they scale. They
demonstrate spectacular growth and expansion, and revolutionize industries with new
business models. Coming out of nowhere, they topple incumbents with fresh outlooks on
technology – think Facebook, Google, and Uber.
Experienced leadership
Contrary to popular belief, almost all scale-ups are led by experienced entrepreneurs. In
addition, more than half of all scale-ups in the database were founded by teams, not by
individuals, all rich in expertise and with diverse backgrounds. Menno van Dijk, THNK Cofounder and Managing Director explains, “Founding an enterprise requires a combination of
having the needed experience and right mentality. Also, determination and the capacity to
inspire others are important qualities. These qualities are developed through years of
corporate or entrepreneurial experience. This explains why scale-up founders are often in
their late thirties or young forties.”
The right timing and design for scalability
Many startups want to launch a product and realize a proft margin as soon as possible. A
scale-up distinguishes itself by getting the market timing right. Scale-up launches often
coincide with (technological) market trends. The THNK and Deloitte Fast Ventures dataanalysis shows that timing between establishment and eventual market entry timing is
almost twice as long for scale-ups than for startups. “Scale-ups have the stamina to do all
necessary preparation and wait until the conditions are right for market entry, allowing for
exponential scaling,” says Gideon Mogendorff, senior manager at Deloitte Fast Ventures.
“We found that only 25% of startups were designed to scale. Meanwhile, 85% of scale-ups
have scalable products that address larger markets and are well suited for international rollouts.”
About the research
Assembling a database with 400.000 startups from 24 countries, THNK and Deloitte Fast
Ventures analyzed financial figures, business dimensions, and leadership characteristics.
Through quantitative data analysis, we looked for commonalities and patterns that would
help answer what improves new enterprises’ chances of becoming a scale-up.
THNK supports entrepreneurs, corporations, and institutions to become innovation leaders
through capability building, new business creation, and culture development. Deloitte Fast
Ventures connects fast growing technology startups with corporates through dataanalysis.The Scale-up Research links to both topics.
Noot voor de redactie / niet voor publicatie:
For more information, please contact:
Karen van Schie, persvoorlichter
06 8201 9154 / kvanschie@deloitte.nl
Other Deloitte press releases, op-eds, blogs, and articles can be found in our Newsroom or
by following us on Twitter: @DeloitteNL.
Valeria Mecozzi, Knowledge Conductor
020 684 2506 / valeria.mecozzi@thnk.org
Other THNK updates, blogs and articles can be found at www.thnk.org, under the Insights
and News sections. Follow us on Twitter at @THNK_org.
Interviews
-
Wim Scheper, Chief Innovation Officer at Deloitte, and Gideon Mogendorff, senior
manager at Deloitte Fast Ventures, are available for interviews.
-
Menno van Dijk, THNK Co-founder and Managing Director, is available for interviews.
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