Our quick survey of iconic tech companies, yesterday, makes depressing reading for the graybeards: the median age of the most successful founders is 26. Yes, 26. Face it: you're over already. That's largely true, particularly for tech businesses, but there's one other reason that older entrepreneurs don't show on the list: they often don't need the money. That's true in two regards: if they've already made a fortune, they may be more intent on preserving it, rather than shooting for a bigger one, so their risk profile shifts. But some older entrepreneurs fall off the sample because they've graduated into tycoons, like Richard Branson, and can fund new ventures on their own terms.

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