Over the past decade, the typical founder has grown from being in their 20s to being a little older. By 2024, the average age of “unicorn” founders (entrepreneurs who create startups worth more than $1 billion) has steadily climbed to 33, as investors favor seasoned veterans to navigate complex markets. However, a new report Global venture capital firm AntlerA closer look at the unicorn phenomenon shows that the boom in artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reversing this trend, enabling a new generation of twenty-somethings to create large companies at an unprecedented rate.
According to Antler’s “great analysisThe arrival of Generative Artificial Intelligence, released on January 7, creates a stark before-and-after in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. While the broader founder pool is aging, the average age of AI unicorn founders has plummeted from a peak of 40 in 2020 to 29 in 2024.
“We found that 25 may be the new 30,” Frittjof BergAntler co-founder and chief commercial officer told wealth in an interview. “Now only smart people (have the ability) to use the vast array of tools available to them… Maybe you need to rely less on networking or sector-specific expertise.”
While he cautioned that it may be too early to draw decisive conclusions about the field, he added that the current field of artificial intelligence is a good fit “if you are a very confident person who works quickly and is not afraid to try things and iterate quickly” because it is “constantly iterative.” Berg added that he believes there is a “fundamental shift” in the age of AI founders and the urgency with which they can accomplish their tasks. He said he sees “the drive and the willingness to keep iterating on what works…I think that’s really going to be the key to successful founders in 2026.”
Get twice the result with half the effort
As Berg puts it, the driving force behind this youth movement is efficiency. In the previous unicorn era, dominated by software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies, scaling required massive infusions of capital to hire large teams for coding, sales, and operations. Today, artificial intelligence allows lean teams to automate low-skill tasks and analytics, fundamentally changing the economics of building a company.
“We’re also seeing some really interesting things, which in many cases means they’re doing more with less,” Berg explained. “Maybe you can do something now with a hundred thousand (dollars of funding) that you could do with a few million dollars before.”
This efficiency is compressing “unicorn time”—the number of years it takes to reach a $1 billion valuation. While the historical average for startups has remained at about seven years, AI companies now reach this milestone in an average of just 4.7 years. The report highlights extreme anomalies, such as Antler portfolio company Swedish artificial intelligence company Lovable reaching unicorn status in just eight months.
2021’s “Supernova” Transformation
The report contrasts current AI-driven growth with the “supernova” year of 2021, which saw the birth of a record 512 unicorn companies. Berg told wealth Low interest rates and investor FOMO (fear of missing out) have largely driven this explosive growth, and he agrees that it’s a bit too much for the venture capital space. The “unicorn explosion” may not be the most surprising story, “but it’s certainly incredible,” he said, drawing a contrast between recent, previous eras defined by capital abundance and the current wave, defined by technological capabilities.
provided by Antlers
Berg acknowledged that many valuations that year were driven by speculation. In contrast, today’s young AI founders often back their high valuations with substantial early revenue. Berg cautioned that his report did not cover individual funds, but he believes many in the venture capital world will think 2021 has gone too far.
“But I also think people are very happy and maybe relieved that, you know, starting at the end of 2023, artificial intelligence comes out and that gets everyone excited again,” he said. He added that in many cases, he now sees companies with revenues in excess of $10 million or even $100 million. “There are a lot of real deals behind a lot of these companies.” He again mentioned his portfolio company Lovable, which comes from From $1 million to $100 million in just eight months.
global classroom
This democratization of tools also leads to the democratization of geography. Ten years ago, billion-dollar companies were concentrated in 30 cities in eight countries. Today, they are present in more than 300 cities in 45 countries.
“It’s unbelievable,” he said, again expressing surprise at the growth in the venture capital space. “I think that countries and cities that want to remain competitive in the future, they need to have an entrepreneurial scene, they need to have a technology scene. And at least many countries and cities have the potential to build this scene,” he said, citing Berlin, Stockholm, London and Dubai as future entrepreneurial hubs. He added that there were many other cities he could have mentioned, emphasizing a broader point: For now, cities and countries have a rare window to solidify themselves as important tech hubs.
As barriers to entry collapse, the “move fast and break things” spirit of the early social media era is back, but with greater risks and faster tools. For the venture capital industry, these numbers are a warning: The next industry-defining giant may well be built by a 25-year-old on a laptop, running at speeds that traditional business models can barely track.
“Those products that have true product-market fit… take less time to become unicorns,” Berg said. “Everything that happens behind the scenes of building a business is moving much faster now.”
However, one factor remains unchanged: the vast majority of founders come from American universities such as Stanford and Harvard.
“It’s incredible what American universities have accomplished in terms of outcomes and great companies, not just in the United States but obviously with founders coming to other countries with Ivy League degrees,” Berg said.
