A new generation of founders is emerging, but they are not yet old enough to vote.
Generation Alpha was born between 2010 and 2024, and the oldest member is only 16 years old. At this age, Stripe’s John Collison co-founded his first company, and Mike Kittredge laid the foundation for Yankee Candle.
Let’s face it: Generation Alpha’s founders are hot. Many venture capitalists have already taken their pitches; others will soon.
“I’ve noticed that Gen Alpha seems to be very busy,” said Sarah Catanzaro, general partner at Amplify. “They tend to have an advantage in markets where execution may be more important than experience.”
Business Insider spoke with five venture capitalists to share their advice to Alpha Generation entrepreneurs. They talked about artificial intelligence, social media—and that pesky college question.
ChatGPT Generation
When ChatGPT first launches in 2022, the oldest Gen Alpha will be 12 years old.
Generation Alpha has had artificial intelligence tools since middle school, if not earlier. They use artificial intelligence to write essays and cheat on exams. They also use it to make new products.
Catanzaro thinks critical thinking may be taking a hit. She’s already seeing this with Generation Z: They’ve grown up with the Internet and can look for answers to questions rather than think through them.
“I’m a little concerned about the cognitive load on Generation Alpha,” she said.
It’s too early to know exactly how, or even if, artificial intelligence will change our mindset. Researchers told Business Insider they observed alarming patterns while studying how humans solve mathematical equations and write papers.
On the other hand, Catanzaro said Generation Alpha may be able to use artificial intelligence more effectively precisely because they grew up with it. Zeno partner Jake Jolis agrees: The barriers to entry have never been lower, and Gen Alpha will know how to cross them.
“You don’t have to raise a trillion dollars to build your own superintelligence,” Jolis said. “You can rent it for 20 yuan a month.”
To go to college or not to go to college
Before getting into venture capital, Jolis dropped out of Stanford University to start his first company.
He knew young founders were eager to drop out of college or give up entirely. Jolis developed his product while at Stanford, then left to pursue it full-time. He says this is a good reason for Generation Alpha to skip higher education: if they have a clear plan and some clients.
Jolis said that beyond these specific cases, college graduates are happier in the long run. “I encourage people to look at their lives as a whole, not just this particular startup,” he said.
There has been an anti-college movement in Silicon Valley recently. Palantir offers scholarships to high school students; Andreessen Horowitz supports college alternatives.
Mo Shaikh, co-founder of MaximumFrequencyVentures, listened to speeches by some Gen Alpha founders at Alpha School, a network of institutions focused on artificial intelligence. He came away impressed: “Some of these kids already have six-figure businesses.”
Still, Shaikh saw the value of a college degree, especially one like Stanford. Universities, he said, are for “cross-pollination”: founders can see other worldviews and then understand those worldviews from their customers.
Be online – but don’t fall into the influence trap
How does a 16 year old get started? Sheikh said go online.
Platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat are where founders “look for signals,” Shaikh said. Gen Alpha has grown with these platforms. This is a brain-rotten generation.
Kristina Simmons, founder of Overwater Ventures, has watched the rise of the influencer-turned-founder. She’s intrigued: Simmons says these founders may have insights about their audiences that others don’t.
Still, Simmons offered a warning. “It’s more than just having a following,” she said. “They will come.”
For Lightspeed partner Claire Zau, becoming famous on social media can be a “trap” for Gen Alpha founders. She said these 15-year-olds seek social media influence and sometimes overlook the nuts and bolts of architecture.
Zau knows that Gen Alpha grew up around successful people like MrBeast and Alix Earle. She says they can help young founders — but maybe not in the way you think.
“The lesson is not necessarily the ‘famous’ part,” Zaw said. “The obsession with the product is very important.”