I've probably met thousands of founders in the last five years of hosting dinners. These are the traits I've noticed in the founders who have breakout success: 1. Extraordinarily obsessive grit. They will do anything it takes, will never give up and are willing to put their reputation on the line. 2. Relentlessly focused on the mission and possess the discipline to ignore everything else in pursuit of their singular goal. 3. Spike high on one or more skills - usually deeply technical, possess product sense/design chops, or unusually charismatic and effective at sales (some VCs call it "magnetism") 4. Clear on what game they're playing without wasting motion. No founder cosplay. If they post online, speak on a stage, meet with journalists, etc., it's in pursuit of a specific business objective. 5. Creatively resourceful. They find untapped, experimental marketing and distribution channels months before anyone else does. 6. Usually has a meaningful personal connection and deep belief in the problem they're solving. 7. Write well, speak well, and can clearly explain what they're building. Has a knack for communication, whether that's verbally or through written prose. 8. Possess a non-obvious unmet need and extreme desire to prove themselves. Maybe they were bullied in school or their last company didn't succeed. The pursuit of wealth alone is usually not enough for someone to build a generational company. 9. Unconventional, non-consensus thinker. Usually kinda quirky. Goes against the grain on common ideas and issues. Allergic to groupthink. 10. Obsessively spends time with their users and customers. Every piece of negative feedback pierces their soul - they take it VERY personally.