9 types of entrepreneur you’ll meet at your next startup event

Since we had a chance to interview and follow so many entrepreneurs, we thought it would be fun to classify them based on their characteristics.

You may or may not find your type here because some of you are probably a mix. Some of our categories don’t read as great as others, but you shouldn’t feel offended should you fall under them. Just let your product speak for you! Here’s our list on 9 types of entrepreneurs:

The greenhorn: Young, daring, and naive

They are probably fresh out of college and extremely excited about their future. They probably think they know it all until they meet some bumps along the road. Along the way, some might understand that entrepreneurship might not be suitable for everyone. Some will regret the decision to become an entrepreneur while others fight and take on whatever comes at them as a valuable experience, whether they succeed or not.

The visionaries: Bold, smart, visionary and sometimes outspoken

They are the people who tend to want to solve the hardest problems in the world. They are charismatic, smart, and sometimes (a good kind of) crazy. They build products that have meaning to the world and put customers above their investors and sometimes, even their own employees. The companies they build usually have a very strong culture with great vision to achieve goals that somewhat seem impossible.

The daredevils: Bold, smart, but overly outspoken

They are seen as visionaries but could sometimes be a little hard to understand. They are quick to pick a fight and will win at all costs. Even if they lose, they will not back down. It’s a good spirit to have, really. But the disadvantage is that people in the industry usually hate the daredevil type of entrepreneurs. They just seem too loud, cocky, and sometimes evil when they take the wrong path just to win.

The exit-ers: Money driven entrepreneurs

The exit-ers type are those who care only about exits (getting acquired, usually). They are usually more concerned about revenue and raising money. They place investors above their customers. Because money is their key motivation, they tend to forget that customers don’t really care about all the zeroes they have in the bank.

The executors: Our actions speak for themselves

They don’t like to talk to media despite countless request from journalists. They believe their actions speak louder than words. So they are spending all the time they have to execute their vision. In many ways, the executors are similar to visionaries but are very media shy people.

The posers: Because being an entrepreneur is cool

The posers are people who think being an entrepreneur is cool. Deep down, they know that they aren’t cut out to be entrepreneurs but still want to live that dream. Sad.

The bullsh*tters: I can’t be an entrepreneur but I can talk

The bullsh*tter is an upgraded version of the poser. These people usually can’t build a decent business. They also know that they can’t be entrepreneurs. Instead of spending time running their own business, they spend time sharing their thoughts about entrepreneurship, the lean startup model, raising money, etc, etc. The bullsh*tters are detrimental to the greenhorn entrepreneurs who unfortunately might take their words seriously.

The octopi: Building multiple startups is cool

The octopi usually have multiple companies under their command. Sure, they work hard but they are also spending limited time on each of the companies that they have founded. They enjoy wearing different hats and working on very diverse products, which is what keeps them running.

The valley dudes: Silicon Valley is king

The Silicon Valley entrepreneur type is well versed with what’s happening in the US and is usually an expat. They keep comparing Silicon Valley to everything. The more they do, the more depressed they get. The smart ones can identify similar trends and hop onto the wave to create an uber-successful company in another country. But the foolish ones just keep sulking about why wherever they’re based isn’t anything like Silicon Valley and unfortunately end up not putting their knowledge to good use.

---

This article by Willis Wee originally appeared on Tech in Asia, a Burn Media publishing partner.