Founder role models: These are the results of a study
In a study by the digital association Bitkom, around 300 IT and Internet start-ups were asked whether they have mission statements and who they are. The results showed very clearly that the founder role models are exactly the people who play in the top league with their companies. So it’s no wonder some very well-known names dropped. But two other results of the study were surprising: only one German role model and no female leading figures.
The 6 most common founder role models
The six most common founder role models are almost all from the USA, are male and generate billions in sales with their companies. We will now introduce these entrepreneurs to you in more detail and take a look at their careers and their business.
6th place: Bill Gates
Bill Gates is in sixth place among the frequently mentioned founder role models. The American entrepreneur and programmer founded his company “Microsoft” together with a partner in 1975, which made him one of the richest people in the world. Gates founded Microsoft as a teenager and created the most successful operating system in the world with Windows. His software empire grew more and more, so that at some point he withdrew from his presidency and switched to the supervisory board. In addition to Microsoft, he founded other tech companies and is also a board member at Berkshire Hathaway. Gates has not worked at Microsoft since 2008 and withdrew from the company entirely. Today he is still involved in various companies and devotes most of his time to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the largest private charities that he founded with his wife. Gates is estimated to have total assets of $110 billion.
5th place: Hasso Plattner
A German entrepreneur made fifth place. Hasso Plattner is the founder of the IT company “SAP”. Plattner began his professional career in 1968 at IBM, a listed US IT and consulting company, and four years later founded his company SAP together with four colleagues. In this role, he assumed overall responsibility for technology, then became co-CEO and is now Chairman of the SAP Supervisory Board. Since Plattner was no longer involved in day-to-day business, he has been a patron and promotes science in Germany. As the founder of the Hasso Plattner Institute for Software Systems Engineering at the University of Potsdam and provides it with several million euros from his private assets. He also teaches there and does research.
4th place: Jeff Bezos
The American entrepreneur Jeff Bezos made it to fourth place among the founder role models. The media manager and founder of the online mail order company “Amazon” is considered the richest person in the world. He achieved this by building one of the most innovative Internet companies in the world. Founded in 1994, over the years he has made Amazon a top company by working for years to develop better and better services and applications. Today, his group is not only the top online mail order company that leaves all competitors behind, but also known for ingenious devices and services such as Amazon Kindle, Prime Video and Amazon Echo with the smart speaker “Alexa”. Due to the long research phase regarding artificial intelligence and the mature technology, the Alexa assistance system is one of the most successful applications of all time. Jeff Bezo’s net worth is now estimated at around $200 billion.
3rd place: Richard Branson
British entrepreneur Richard Branson is the third best role model for young startup founders. He is the founder of the conglomerate “Virgin Group”, which includes areas such as the music business, aviation and mobile communications. The once very bad student founded his first company in 1970 called Virgin, a mail order record company. Later he also used it to run record shops and studios. Branson produced bands like Genesis and Rolling Stones in the 80s and sold Virgin to EMI, one of the world’s leading music labels, in the 90s. He has invested in over 50 companies and is still regularly featured in various media activities. He can now look back on private assets of around four billion US dollars.
2nd place: Steve Jobs
The late Apple founder Steve Jobs took second place among the founder role models. The American entrepreneur was the longtime CEO of Apple, one of the best-known hardware and software developers. Because Apple as a technology company, he developed computers, smartphones, consumer electronics and operating systems, making Jobs one of the most famous personalities in the computer industry. As early as the 1970s, he brought out the first Apple model, which became established as a personal computer for electronic mass communication. Together with his partners, he succeeded in creating digital lifestyle products that everyone knows today under iTunes, iPad and iPhone. In addition, Jobs was the majority shareholder in Pixar Animation Studios and, through its merger with Disney, is now also the largest single shareholder. In 2011, his fortune was estimated at $8.3 billion.
1st place: Elon Musk
First place among the founder role models is again occupied by an American entrepreneur. Elon Musk has become known for his participation in the founding of “PayPal”, an online payment service. But also by founding the company “SpaceX”, with which he transported satellites into space and supplied the ISS. Thus he made it to the world’s leading commercial provider of space travel. But Musk owes this success above all to his broad interest in a wide variety of topics. As a physicist and economist, he conducts research on various projects, making him a visionary investor and manager. In 2004, Musk catapulted the market leader in electromobility to the pinnacle of success as co-owner of “Tesla”. His latest project is research in the field of artificial intelligence with his company “Neuralink”. Musk’s net worth is estimated at approximately $22.3 billion.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about founder role models
Role models encourage us to take up a new hobby, for a specific career choice, or shape our thinking and behaviour in their way. Young start-up founders also have such leading figures and orient themselves towards successful entrepreneurs who have already mastered their path to success.
The six most common founder role models are almost all from the USA, are male and generate billions in sales with their companies.
The most common role models for founders are Bill Gates, Hasso Plattner, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, Steve Jobs and Elon Musk.
