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Research Outline

Prepared for Ron G. | Delivered October 18, 2019

Correlation Between Burning Man Participants and Founders of Successful Startups

Goals

To look for a correlation between Burning Man participants and successful startup founders, backed up by statistics as well as anecdotal information, as well as to look for proof that a there is a high concentration of successful startup founders mixed in among the burner community to prove that there is an advantage to picking companies to invest in from Burning Man participants. This research will be used to both form a sales pitch and for personal validation.

Early Findings

Our initial research indicates that while there is a little demographic information available about Burning Man participants and anecdotal information about why participating in Burning Man is good for successful startup founders, there is no statistical information on the number of successful startup founders who participate in Burning Man. In looking for these statistics, we searched industry publications, news articles, and press releases all dedicated or related to Burning Man. We also looked for articles and blogs written about Burning Man by participants.
Our research determined that although there is anecdotal information on wh Burning Man is good for startups, there is no statistical data that backs it up.
Burning Man Participant Demographic Information (2018)
  • 8,745 Burning Man participants were asked for demographic information.
  • The median age of a Burning Man participant was 35 years old.
  • Around 59% of participants self-identified as male
  • Around 40% of participants self-identified as female
  • Around 2% of participants self-identified as both, fluid, or neither
  • 77% self-identified as Caucasian/White (Non-Latino), and while this percentage is high, it is down from 2013.
There is anecdotal proof that Burning Man is good for startups and that the founders of many successful startups are or have been Burning Man participants.
  • Burning Man provides the ultimate networking opportunity in an environment deeper and more intimate business relationships can be developed.
  • Each year, Burning Man attracts founders and CEOs of both well-established companies and startups of every size.
  • Burning Man can be an exhibition for a startup’s technology, helping the startup to gain recongition and build its network.
  • Participating in Burning Man is best for founders whose startups are successful before they attend. If, as a founder, your startup is struggling or worse and you choose to spend a week at Burning Man looking for the piece of advice or networking opportunity that will save you, you probably won't find it.