Most successful Web startups

Today we are releasing the first Startup Genome Report with in-depth analysis on what makes internet startups successful based on data from over 650 startups. Here is a small window into the report with 14 indicators of success.

There are tens of thousands of potential young Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerbergs all over the world, sitting in their dorm rooms and little apartments dreaming up the next global phenomenon. Unfortunately the entrepreneurs they look up to are perceived as almost mystical figures that are impossible to emulate. The first challenge these young entrepreneurs have is to demystify their heroes and learn how they became successful. If they have enough strength to get their company off the ground they will experience an amazing roller coaster ride.

One would think after so many successes and failures of technology startups in the last 50 years that there would be clearer patterns aspiring entrepreneurs could study to mitigate the amplitude of the extreme highs and lows that characterize the entrepreneurial journey. But unfortunately that's not the case… yet.

Hundreds of people built social networks before Mark Zuckerberg came along. But Facebook emerged as the winner, and it now has the potential to grow into the most important company of this era. Zuckerberg wasn’t more intelligent, more ambitious, better educated or wealthier than other entrepreneurs who built social networks, he just played the game better. If there was one factor where Zuckerbeg truly differentiated himself from other entrepreneurs it was probably his ability to learn and adapt.

We just completed an in-depth analysis with data from more than 650 startups and one of the clearest results we found was that founders that learn are more successful. Startups that have helpful mentors, track metrics effectively, and learn from startup thought leaders raise 7x more money and have 3.5x better user growth.