Startups and their founders often tout the value of failing fast and, more importantly, failing forward. It’s a concept surrounded by the assurance that through trial and error, most early-stage companies will find their way and grow.
The reality is a bit different, according to a massive multiyear study of over 158,000 startups across the globe. The researchers found that nascent enterprises are more fraught than we are led to believe when we rely on success stories such as Facebook or Twitter to provide a picture of what it’s really like. Most startups struggle to consistently provide revenue and employment growth in the first five years, the researchers observed.
