Start-Up Founders Witness Age Discrimination Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.

Start-Up Founders Find More Age Bias Than Other Discrimination

89 percent believe older people face hurdles in tech industry on average they say ageism begins at 46

Getty Images than sex or racial discrimination, according to founders of those start-ups. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. In a study commissioned by venture investor First Round Capital, 529 founders of venture-backed firms were asked about their experiences. Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers > Some 37 percent of founders say that in the start-up community, while the figures were 28 percent for gender bias and 26 percent for racial bias. But when asked about the tech industry as a whole, 89 percent of founders “agree that older people face age discrimination.” As for what passes as “old” in terms of discrimination, the average age given was 46. On other workplace issues, answers depended in part on the sex of the respondent. For example, 66 percent of male founders said that tech companies “are inclusive for parents” and their needs; that belief was shared by only 34 percent of female founders. Founders also took out their crystal balls about the immediate economic future. When asked whether the tech industry is highly overvalued or “in a bubble,” they were roughly evenly divided in three possible responses: “yes, and it won’t pop any time soon” (29 percent); “yes, and it’s close to popping” (33 percent); “no, definitely not (39 percent). Forecasting the state of development in the bigger world over the next decade, 39 percent of founders predicted that China “will be the center of tech in 2028.” AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS