--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you look at the ecosystem…" description: "\"If you look at the ecosystem, entrepreneurs as a class have gotten younger, younger, and younger. They also as a class have become less and less and le..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/chamath-palihapitiya-10473_ability_if-you-look-at-the-ecosystem-entrepreneu_2541388.jpg" --- # If you look at the ecosystem, entrepreneurs as a class… ![“If you look at the ecosystem, entrepreneurs as a class have gotten younger, younger, and younger. They also as a class have become less and less and less experienced. The good part about that is that you're unlocking this ability to start a company to so many more people. That's an amazing…” quote by Chamath Palihapitiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/chamath-palihapitiya-10473_ability_if-you-look-at-the-ecosystem-entrepreneu_2541388.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/chamath-palihapitiya-10473_ability_if-you-look-at-the-ecosystem-entrepreneu_2541388.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/chamath-palihapitiya-10473_ability_if-you-look-at-the-ecosystem-entrepreneu_2541388.jpg) > “If you look at the ecosystem, entrepreneurs as a class have gotten younger, younger, and younger. They also as a class have become less and less and less experienced. The good part about that is that you're unlocking this ability to start a company to so many more people. That's an amazing positive. The negative is they're coming to that job with dramatically less experience than they've ever had. So there needs to be someone around the table that can then help them.” [Chamath Palihapitiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamath-palihapitiya/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Young entrepreneurs are entering startups with less experience, creating both opportunity and risk; mentorship is needed. **In simple terms:** New founders bring fresh ideas but lack know‑how, requiring guidance. Key Takeaway Provide experienced mentors to balance youthful energy. Themes entrepreneurship experience mentorship Mood optimistic concerned Type advice observation When to use this quote - startup incubators - venture capital meetings - founder training programs Key Concepts generational shift skill gap innovation ecosystem Questions to Reflect On - How can mentors empower without micromanaging? - What structures best support rapid learning? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on mentorship can stifle independence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Around The Table](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/around-the-table/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Entrepreneur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneur/) [Entrepreneurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneurs/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Positive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive/) ## Related quotes > [What Techstars is fundamentally a global ecosystem in which entrepreneurs are enabled and empowered to bring new technologies to the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cohen/what-techstars-is-fundamentally-a-global-ecosystem-in-which/) [David Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cohen/) > [You can't be an entrepreneur for other people. You can't start a company for other people. You have to love it more than you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-lively/you-can-t-be-an-entrepreneur-for-other-people-you-can-t-start-a/) [Blake Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-lively/) > [Plenty of entrepreneurs can start a company. What is more rare is to evolve it and to scale with it over time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-dunn/plenty-of-entrepreneurs-can-start-a-company-what-is-more-rare-is-to/) [Andy Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-dunn/) > [The half-life of companies is shrinking. So in the same ease in which you can start a company today to disrupt an incumbent, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamath-palihapitiya/the-half-life-of-companies-is-shrinking-so-in-the-same-ease-in-which/) [Chamath Palihapitiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamath-palihapitiya/) > [I feel like a lot of entrepreneurs hear all this talk about profitability and realize they need to lower their burn. So, they just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamath-palihapitiya/i-feel-like-a-lot-of-entrepreneurs-hear-all-this-talk-about/) [Chamath Palihapitiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamath-palihapitiya/) > [If you hire only those people you understand, the company will never get people better than you are. Always remember that you often find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soichiro-honda/if-you-hire-only-those-people-you-understand-the-company-will-never/) [Soichiro Honda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soichiro-honda/) > [To know you are in the company with people who love and care for each other, as well as for whatever they are working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/to-know-you-are-in-the-company-with-people-who-love-and-care-for-each/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [I think whenever you come in, whenever you try to evolve a company, people will get nervous. But, if you articulate a clear vision,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rosensweig/i-think-whenever-you-come-in-whenever-you-try-to-evolve-a-company/) [Dan Rosensweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rosensweig/) > [I'm not sure I was a typical head of a company. Most people that run big companies come out of sales and they come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eisner/i-m-not-sure-i-was-a-typical-head-of-a-company-most-people-that-run/) [Michael Eisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eisner/) > [The basic principle which I believe has contributed more than any other to the building of our business as it is today, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-casey/the-basic-principle-which-i-believe-has-contributed-more-than-any/) James E. Casey > [“At the end of the day, a company is made by its people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-j-bowen/at-the-end-of-the-day-a-company-is-made-by-its-people/) [Steven J. Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-j-bowen/) > [A company that can't fire people well is like a forest that never has a fire. It becomes overgrown, full of weeds, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-dunn/a-company-that-can-t-fire-people-well-is-like-a-forest-that-never-has/) [Andy Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-dunn/) > [“large companies do not usually have efficient communication paths from the people closest to some of these changes at the bottom of the company…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-lashinsky/large-companies-do-not-usually-have-efficient-communication-paths/) [Adam Lashinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-lashinsky/) > [I think I understand the relationships between different people within the company: people who are straightforward employees, people who can impact the bottom line,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-steyer/i-think-i-understand-the-relationships-between-different-people/) [Tom Steyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-steyer/) > [People who work for me are working for what I believe in. The leaders who run our companies do so on the basis of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/people-who-work-for-me-are-working-for-what-i-believe-in-the-leaders/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) ## More by Chamath Palihapitiya > [My first job was at a Burger King.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamath-palihapitiya/my-first-job-was-at-a-burger-king/) [Chamath Palihapitiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamath-palihapitiya/) > [The point of Silicon Valley at least when I moved here was we're all trying to do stuff and none of us quite felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamath-palihapitiya/the-point-of-silicon-valley-at-least-when-i-moved-here-was-we-re-all/) [Chamath Palihapitiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamath-palihapitiya/) > [Good investors have to choose how to allocate their mind share with the precious capital they have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamath-palihapitiya/good-investors-have-to-choose-how-to-allocate-their-mind-share-with/) [Chamath Palihapitiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamath-palihapitiya/) > [Valuable companies take decades to build.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamath-palihapitiya/valuable-companies-take-decades-to-build/) [Chamath Palihapitiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamath-palihapitiya/) > [At some point, Apple will become much more aggressive and much more daring in taking their brand and capital to really reshaping markets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamath-palihapitiya/at-some-point-apple-will-become-much-more-aggressive-and-much-more/) [Chamath Palihapitiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamath-palihapitiya/) > [I was raised in a house where my mom was the primary breadwinner. It was a dysfunctional house, but she showed tremendous resilience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamath-palihapitiya/i-was-raised-in-a-house-where-my-mom-was-the-primary-breadwinner-it/) [Chamath Palihapitiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamath-palihapitiya/) > [I was born in Sri Lanka.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamath-palihapitiya/i-was-born-in-sri-lanka/) [Chamath Palihapitiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamath-palihapitiya/) > [I wish I had invested in the series A of Snapchat and Uber.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamath-palihapitiya/i-wish-i-had-invested-in-the-series-a-of-snapchat-and-uber/) [Chamath Palihapitiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamath-palihapitiya/) > [It's OK, by the way, that it takes 10 years for you to make "money." Since when was it that being in your mid-30s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamath-palihapitiya/it-s-ok-by-the-way-that-it-takes-10-years-for-you-to-make-money-since/) [Chamath Palihapitiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamath-palihapitiya/) > [Startups should be - if you graph their financial performance, it should be what's called a J curve. You start out at zero. you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamath-palihapitiya/startups-should-be-if-you-graph-their-financial-performance-it-should/) [Chamath Palihapitiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamath-palihapitiya/) > [We curate our lives around this perceived sense of perfection, because we get rewarded in these short term signals: Hearts, likes, thumbs up. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamath-palihapitiya/we-curate-our-lives-around-this-perceived-sense-of-perfection-because/) [Chamath Palihapitiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamath-palihapitiya/) > [What you should be in a rush for isn't necessarily the immediate monetary return, but it's to know that this equation existing between an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamath-palihapitiya/what-you-should-be-in-a-rush-for-isn-t-necessarily-the-immediate/) [Chamath Palihapitiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamath-palihapitiya/) > [You need to use data science and machine learning to get the ground truth of what's happening inside of a company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamath-palihapitiya/you-need-to-use-data-science-and-machine-learning-to-get-the-ground/) [Chamath Palihapitiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamath-palihapitiya/) > [I've found that a lot of successful poker players grew up poor. And I'm convinced that poor people have a risk tolerance that rich…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamath-palihapitiya/i-ve-found-that-a-lot-of-successful-poker-players-grew-up-poor-and-i/) [Chamath Palihapitiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamath-palihapitiya/) > [I'm a living testament to the value of immigration. I escaped a civil war, and I came to Canada as a refugee, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamath-palihapitiya/i-m-a-living-testament-to-the-value-of-immigration-i-escaped-a-civil/) [Chamath Palihapitiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamath-palihapitiya/) [Explore all 65 Chamath Palihapitiya quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamath-palihapitiya/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you look at the ecosystem, entrepreneurs as a class have gotten younger, younger, and younger. 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