Finally someone gets some decent data about successful startup founders. The conclusions aren't a super slam-dunk, but let's not forget that Thiel himself is doing a big old "do as I say, not as I did"... I mean, the Paypal posse is practically Exhibit A for meeting your lifelong business homies in college!

I always suspected this to be true: "The overwhelming proportion of founders begin a company they after turn 30."

Many startup founders fail a few times before becoming successful. This will necessarily make them older. The report assumes that this kind of failure is not as valuable as going to college or working for a big company prior to beginning a startup.