Some of the Best Founders Are “Difficult” People

What To Look For When Reference Checking Polarizing Entrepreneurs

There are certain words I don’t want to hear when doing backchannel references on a startup CEO. Sketchy would be one. Unmotivated another. Or those special little bombs of a phrase like “enjoys playing founder more than being one” and “tells a good story but no follow-through.” These come up — once is a warning, twice is a goodbye — and I’m not making the investment. But there’s another characteristic that on the surface could seem…