Recognizing Dysfunctional Startup Leadership
The undoing of the company began when a potential investor, after months of search, was ready to put up $1M, but made it clear the founder would have to be replaced.
Marty Zwilling: “Founders almost always cite lack of money as the reason for failure, but if you look deeper, …the reason is more often about dysfunctional people and leadership. Sometimes it comes right back to the founder, in terms of a malaise often called ‘Founder’s Syndrome.’…It’s not a disease, but it can kill your startup. …The undoing of the company began when a potential investor, after months of search, was ready to put up $1M, but made it clear that his firm would likely need to replace the Founder with someone with more credentials and experience… The Founder killed the investment deal, and every other potential deal which raised the same issue.”
