What defines a great founder?
Lately, people have been asking me what makes a great founder, and I always struggle to put it into words.
So, here’s my attempt to figure it out.
It’s one of those things that’s tricky to explain. It reminds me of that Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart quote when he was trying to explain pornography: “I know it when I see it.”
However, that alone doesn’t fully capture what sets certain founders apart.
I first thought about the OGs—Musk, Jobs, Bezos. They have a larger-than-life image, and while they’re undoubtedly great, most of us haven’t met them. Our perception is distorted by media narratives and success stories. You could even argue there’s some survivorship bias there.
Then I thought about the great founders I’ve actually met.
What makes them stand out? The first thing that comes to mind—albeit it’s quite old school—is “vision.” Yet, vision alone doesn’t explain the full picture.
Sure, great founders can paint a big picture, but you often need deep industry context to judge if someone is truly visionary. If I meet someone over just 30 minutes, I might not have the chance to hear their grand plan, but I would still sense something special about them.
So, it’s not just vision.
Resilience is another big one because startups are brutal. But resilience isn’t always obvious in a first meeting. You see it in how people handle setbacks over time—in the face of rejection, scarcity, or market downturns.
A better tell is intensity. Some people just have a presence, a sense of urgency, and a level of energy that makes you want to move faster just by being around them. There’s a quote from George Mack that captures it well:
“General ambition gives you anxiety. Specific ambition gives you direction.”
When intensity is channeled properly, it’s contagious.
Then there’s agency—the ability to figure things out and just make things happen. Naval once described high-agency people as:
“People who just solve problems without even being asked. They identify the problem, fix it, and don’t waste time updating you at every step. They just deliver results.”
Eric Weinstein put it another way:
“When someone tells you something is impossible, does that end the conversation? Or does that start a second dialogue in your mind?”
That’s agency. The best founders don’t wait around for permission; they move.
Between the two quotes, you get the point. Yes, intensity and agency are forms of resilience that are easy to spot, even in brief encounters. But is that all?
Leadership matters too. Some people just have a gravitational pull—they make others want to follow them. You can see it in how they communicate, how they make people feel seen and valued, and how they remember small details. They highlight strengths and bring out the best in those around them. All these tactics are signs of strong leadership qualities and serve as a cornerstone of what makes someone great.
Competitiveness is another big one. The best founders have an almost irrational drive to win, pushing through obstacles where most would stop. However, if it’s unchecked, that same drive can spiral into cutting corners and playing dirty. Without integrity to balance it, competitiveness can lead to the next Theranos or eFishery.
When I meet someone hyper-competitive but lacking clear signs of integrity, it’s an immediate red flag. Winning at all costs might get you ahead in the short term, but it rarely creates something that truly endures.
Of course, none of this matters without execution. You can be intense, competitive, and charismatic, but if you can’t get things done, none of it matters. Execution isn’t just about agency—it’s about making the right decisions under pressure, prioritizing effectively, and managing resources to consistently deliver. Some people are always in motion but accomplish little. The best founders channel their energy into what matters, ensuring every move compounds into something bigger.
Finally, there’s curiosity. The best founders are relentless learners, constantly diving into random rabbit holes, which teaches them to ask great questions. You can often tell within minutes—people who are genuinely interested in the world around them stand out. They don’t just consume information; they synthesize it, connect dots, and apply what they learn. You can’t fake that kind of curiosity.
Some of these traits—intensity, agency, curiosity, competitiveness—are apparent right away. Others, like resilience, integrity, leadership, and vision, take time to uncover. There’s no single formula, and each founder combines these qualities in their own unique way. Context also matters: what works in one industry might not in another, and timing plus luck are always in play.
Ultimately, great founders create their own luck by consistently making good bets and executing relentlessly. They balance competitiveness with integrity, intensity with leadership, and curiosity with execution. That is the essence of a great founder—they are able to balance traits that are viewed as polar opposites but, if kept in balance, create an aura of greatness you can’t simply fake.