I'm not going to disagree completely with the generalizations about senior management. What I will do is get more specific because, in fact, we have seasoned start-up people that understand the chaos and uncertainty in growing early stage companies. We also have senior managers that are smart and savvy in business that can effectively manage a growing operation. What we are missing is explicit domain knowledge about the markets that the start-up is headed towards. Far too often we see start-ups with a great idea but a CEO that knows very little about the market and the customers.
Nothing is guaranteed in starting a company.
There are just too many variables to control. Put it another way. I'm talking about anyone that knows the market, the conditions of it, the competition in it and the dynamics of it and has built successful products selling in that market. Typically these people also have great contacts into decision-making positions at many of the potential customers for the new venture. Celtic House lathered them with VC money and they built a product that the biggest carriers and CLECs wanted.