Interestingly, this also sheds light on why alma mater (external network) carries such weight in the ecosystem. Founders from IITs, IIMs, ISBs often have certain structural advantages—not just in terms of credibility, but in the networks and institutional frameworks they've internalized.
Similarly, backgrounds from top corporates (McKinsey, Bain, or Boston Consulting) provide pattern recognition and rigor that compound over time. Even for angel funding rounds, these signals matter because they proxy for both capability and the ability to learn systematically.
Interestingly, this also sheds light on why alma mater (external network) carries such weight in the ecosystem. Founders from IITs, IIMs, ISBs often have certain structural advantages—not just in terms of credibility, but in the networks and institutional frameworks they've internalized.
Similarly, backgrounds from top corporates (McKinsey, Bain, or Boston Consulting) provide pattern recognition and rigor that compound over time. Even for angel funding rounds, these signals matter because they proxy for both capability and the ability to learn systematically.
Right now you can even include masters union
Really resonated with the point about pain + reflection = progress. Too often we focus on what founders are building and miss the 'who' behind it.
That childhood lens idea hit different - explains why some founders keep replaying their struggle story while others quietly learn and move on.
Looking forward to your framework in the next post!