"If you were 42 and spent the last 20 years working in Big Corp - even if you did impressive work - I'm sceptical you'd be on an even-footing with a 25 year old who spent 3 years at Zynga."
I've worked with more than a few mid-20 somethings that stepped out on their own only to immediately drive their company in to the ground because they a) didn't understand "business" (profit) and b) assumed the 'old people' around them didn't understand the new economy.
This isn't to say that there are not outstanding young business owners out there, but to assume that 20 years of work experience provides no, or little, benefit when it comes to running a start-up is short sighted at best.
I've worked with more than a few mid-20 somethings that stepped out on their own only to immediately drive their company in to the ground because they a) didn't understand "business" (profit) and b) assumed the 'old people' around them didn't understand the new economy.
This isn't to say that there are not outstanding young business owners out there, but to assume that 20 years of work experience provides no, or little, benefit when it comes to running a start-up is short sighted at best.