The Four Founder Archetypes

As ya’ll know, I back founders when it’s often just an idea and a dream reading Word Up magazine. At this stage, I’m investing in the founder more than the idea itself. So, I need to have a clear and structured approach to evaluating founders. I need to develop pattern recognition, learn from past mistakes, and continually refine my process. One of the tools I’ve developed is a framework for understanding founder archetypes.

Founders are the business before there is a business. Their vision, drive, and decision-making set the foundation for everything that follows. For me, understanding the archetype of a founder—how they think, what motivates them, and where their strengths and gaps lie—has become important to my investing philosophy. Over time, I’ve observed that founders tend to align with one of four archetypes: Problem-Oriented, Opportunity-Oriented, Vision-Oriented, or Innovation-Oriented.

The Four Archetypes

Every founder’s journey is unique, but there are patterns that reveal how they think, act, and build. Recognising these archetypes has become my way of cutting through the noise to understand what makes a founder tick.

1. Problem-Oriented Founders

These are the founders who create because they’ve felt the pain of the problem they’re solving. Their empathy runs deep, and their understanding of user needs is unparalleled. Sara Blakely’s Spanx journey is a classic example. She didn’t just spot a market gap—she lived it. Similarly, Tristan Walker founded Bevel to address unmet grooming needs for people of colour, a problem he personally experienced.

The strength of Problem-Oriented Founders lies in their ability to create thoughtful, user-first solutions. But their Achilles’ heel is often scalability. They can get stuck perfecting the problem’s solution and miss the bigger picture. My focus with these founders is always: Can they shift from solving the problem to scaling the solution?

2. Opportunity-Oriented Founders

These founders are masters of spotting untapped potential. They thrive on timing and trends, turning gaps into scalable businesses. Reed Hastings is a textbook example—he saw the potential of subscription-based streaming before it was obvious. Similarly, the Airbnb founders recognised the value of unused spaces long before the term “sharing economy” was a buzzword.

Their superpower is their ability to think big and pivot fast. But the challenge? Staying focused. Opportunity-Oriented Founders can be drawn to the next shiny thing, risking dilution of their vision. My role with them is often to keep them anchored: Are they focused on executing their best idea, or spreading themselves too thin?

3. Vision-Oriented Founders

These are the dreamers, the ones who see the world not as it is but as it could be. They build businesses that challenge norms and inspire change. Indra Nooyi’s vision for PepsiCo—centering sustainability and health in a traditionally indulgent industry—wasn’t just about beverages; it was about reshaping corporate responsibility. Howard Schultz's work with Starbucks was driven by a vision of creating a "third place" where community thrives outside of home and work.

Visionaries excel at rallying people behind their dreams, whether it’s customers, teams, or investors. But their weakness lies in execution. They’re often so focused on the horizon that they miss the bumps on the road. For Vision-Oriented Founders, I work to ensure they have the operational foundation to turn their ambitions into actionable plans.

4. Innovation-Oriented Founders

These are the pioneers, starting with a breakthrough and then searching for applications. Their strength lies in pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Think Jennifer Doudna, who co-invented CRISPR and is now leading its application in healthcare and beyond. Or the Wright Brothers, who invented powered flight and later found ways to commercialise it.

But innovation alone doesn’t guarantee success. Innovation-First Founders often struggle to align their breakthroughs with real-world needs. My focus with these founders is to bridge that gap: Who is this for? How does it fit into the market?

The Power of Blended Archetypes

The reality is, founders often embody traits from multiple archetypes. And these blends can be incredibly powerful:

• Andrew Ng is Vision-Oriented (democratising AI education globally) and Innovation-First (advancing deep learning for real-world applications).

• Larry Page and Sergey Brin started as Innovation-First (Google’s algorithms) but grew into Visionaries (organising the world’s information).

• Melanie Perkins (Canva) blends Problem-Oriented empathy (simplifying design for non-designers) with Opportunity-Oriented scaling.

Blended archetypes create resilience, but they also add complexity. Understanding these layers allows me to support founders more effectively, tailoring advice and resources to their unique strengths and challenges.

Shaping My Investment Approach

For a Problem-Oriented Founder, I focus on strategies for scaling. For an Opportunity-Oriented Founder, I emphasise discipline and focus. For a Vision-Oriented Founder, I help build the operational scaffolding to support their dreams. And for an Innovation-First Founder, I connect them with market experts who can bring their breakthroughs to life.

Founders evolve, and so does my role. A Problem-Oriented Founder might become a Visionary as their company grows. An Opportunity-Oriented Founder might dive into innovation to maintain their edge. My job is to support these transitions and ensure they have what they need at every stage.