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Experienced IT veteran or fresh grad co-founder?
by
Aesop
https://www.networkworld.com/article/2223280/the-better-hire--the-50-year-old-it-veteran-or-the-fresh-grad-.html
If I had to choose I'd go with experience. I think the more experience, the more lessons learned (in general). However, I do think it depends on what your skills are and what gaps in your knowledge you want your co-founder to fill. For example, if you're looking for a 'Head of Product' and your target market is people in their 20s, a "fresh grad" might have a better understanding of what users use and how they use the tech you're working on... whereas if you're looking for a CTO, I'd say experience.
Yes, experienced IT veterans will know how to avoid mistakes, which is generally great, BUT it can mean applying a more conservative approach in how they apply new technology. A fresh grad might be less risk-averse, but that could be a good thing. They might make more mistakes along the way, but as @rmondo says, it's their approach to learning and ability to bounce back from failure that matters (and the cost of their mistakes, of course).
I see what you mean, but it's super case by case. Finding the right co-founder is about more than just filling the gaps in your own knowledge. It also depends on their life experience and how well you work together etc...yes, it's generally safe to assume someone who's older will have learned more, but it's necessarily the case. I'd like to know whether it's someone who pushes themselves out of their comfort zone, how they approach learning and assimilate failures etc.