Entrepreneurial Grief: The Anatomy of Start-up Failure”

Entrepreneurship offers big opportunities but also significant risk. Emerging Companies & Venture Capital Partner Josh Kalish was recently quoted in the Financier Worldwide article, “Entrepreneurial grief: the anatomy of start-up failure,” highlighting that while launching a start-up is easier than ever, achieving lasting success remains challenging.

From the article:

“Most start-ups fail,” affirms Josh Kalish, a partner at Farrell Fritz. “The exact ratio will vary by dataset and definition, but the directional truth is consistent: a meaningful majority does not reach a durable, scalable outcome. That said, ‘failure’ is not a binary outcome. Many companies do not go to zero, they just do not achieve venture-scale returns or independence.”

“One point that often gets lost is that execution and alignment matter as much as the idea,” suggests Mr Kalish. “Most good ideas have multiple teams pursuing them; what differentiates outcomes is how well the team makes decisions under pressure, allocates capital and adapts when assumptions prove wrong.”

“On the one hand, it has never been easier or cheaper to start a company, build a product and reach customers globally,” opines Mr Kalish. “On the other, competition is intense, capital is more selective and customers are more discerning. There is less tolerance for ‘growth at any cost’ and more focus on fundamentals. So the barrier to entry is lower, but the bar for success is arguably higher.”

Read the full article here: Entrepreneurial grief: the anatomy of start-up failure — Financier Worldwide