About this Event
We would like to invite you to our upcoming research seminar talk.
We are very happy to welcome Dr. Fabian Braesemann (University of Oxford), who will present his paper “The impact of founder personalities on startup success” ().
Date: 2 February 2026
Time: 10:00h – 11:30h
Room: TUM · Building 5, 2nd floor · Room 2553
Entrance: Luisenstr./Theresienstr. How to find us:
Abstract: Startups are a vital source of innovation, yet the most innovative are also the least likely to survive. The probability of success of startups has been shown to relate to several firm-level factors such as industry, location and the economy of the day. Still, attention has increasingly been given to internal factors related to the firm’s founding team, including their prior experiences and failures, their centrality within a global network of other founders and investors, and the team’s size.
The effects of founders’ personalities on the success of new ventures, however, remain largely unknown. Here, we show that founder personality traits are a significant feature of a firm’s ultimate success. We find that the Big Five personality traits of startup founders across 30 dimensions significantly differ from those of the population at large. Key personality facets that distinguish successful entrepreneurs include a preference for variety, novelty, and starting new things, lower levels of modesty, and higher activity levels. We do not find one ’Founder-type’ personality; instead, six different personality types appear. Our results also demonstrate the benefits of larger, personality-diverse teams in startups, which are associated with a higher likelihood of success. The findings emphasise the role of personality type diversity as a novel dimension of team diversity that influences performance and success.
We are looking forward to an exciting talk. Faculty, students, and guests are welcome. We ask you to register to facilitate planning purposes. Thank you!
Best regards,
Isabell Welpe + Team (Chair for Strategy and Organization)
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
TUM School of Management, Arcisstraße 21, München, Germany
USD 0.00
