Literary Characters who would have made great Startup Founders

by Startacus Admin
We’re rather chuffed that it’s World Book Day, not only because it means an impromptu literary liaison may well be in order this afternoon, but also because it's given us a much overdue opportunity to merge two of our favourite things; startups and books. Allow us to explain…
We have often wondered which of our favourite fictional characters would make the best startup founders...so to alleviate our curiosity we have come up with a highly fanciful and incredibly unscientific analysis of some of their more enterprising facets… enjoy!
Lord Voldemort (From The Harry Potter Series) - Whilst certainly not the most becoming of chaps, his Lordship commands a following any business founder would envy. We have always been of the opinion that were LV to turn his hand to something a little more constructive, such as digital marketing, he could be an entrepreneurial force to be reckoned with. His particular strength lies in his ability to get people to buy into an idea (however misguided), creating a power structure around himself which secures his position atop the proverbial ladder. So sure of the value of his ideas are his followers that they even ‘brand’ themselves with his iconic ‘Dark Mark’ as a declaration of allegiance and handy instant messaging service..."think the WhatsApp of the Wizarding World" (Thanks for that Heather from Uproar Comics!)
Sweeney Todd + Miss Lovett (From Sweeney Todd) - A business partnership made in hell? Perhaps... but we can't help but have a certain admiration for their pragmatism and ingenuity. I mean think about it… a barber with murderous intent operating above a pie shop experiencing a meat shortage…it took some serious entrepreneurial spirit to reach out and snag the obvious solution that so many others would have just politely ignored. In terms of innovation and dedication to a cause Mrs Lovett would certainly make a formidable startup founder…but perhaps in a catering establishment where the ingredients weren't the spoils of homicide.Mary Poppins (From the Mary Poppins Series) - Magical abilities and umbrella-based transportation aside, her general demeanour is one which we feel would be rather well suited to the world of enterprise. Her pleasing countenance belies a steadfast love of order and efficiency which get the job done but promote a motivated and happy working environment…she knows that a ‘spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down’. She carries herself with a sturdy determination and reassuring confidence, which, whilst verging on arrogance leaves just enough
room for a little improvement, she is “practically perfect in every way”...but not quite.
Scarlett O’Hara (From Gone With The Wind) - Anyone who can save and ensure the future survival of a plantation using only her wits and a pair of green curtains must surely fall into the category of enterprising! She is testament to the age old adage “necessity is the mother of invention” using good old fashioned ingenuity to claw her way tooth and nail out of a series of increasingly dire situations. At the heart of her enterprising spirit are three things that all successful startups need… hard work, conviction and unwavering determination. In her most famous utterance she vows to ‘never be hungry again’- a promise which she simply refuses to relinquish. She is a grafter and doesn't expect those working for her to do anything that she wouldn't herself...whether it's picking cotton or ploughing a field, she leads by example and relies on her own mettle to get the job done.
The Grinch (From The Grinch Who Stole Christmas) - Perhaps the most lovable ‘bad guy’ of all Christmas stories he undoubtedly exhibits a wealth of enterprising prowess in his unwavering determination to destroy Christmas. His simple reversal of the standard “Santa Claus”social enterprise model is nothing short of genius and his willingness to improvise with the materials to hand display a real ‘can do’ attitude. He goes far and beyond the definition of determination and whilst he may be single-minded to the point of self destruction, we have no doubt that any startup with him at the wheel would have a pretty good chance of making some serious green.
We know that this is essentially a load of nonsense of absolutely no use to anyone, but it’s World Book Day and we thoroughly enjoyed mulling over the entrepreneurial potential of some of our favourite literary characters.
We would love to hear what you think, so why not drop us a tweet on @iamstartacus ?
Or if you're feeling in a fanciful kind of mood then take a look at some of these posts
What self starter animal would you be?
The Science of a successful Startup (finally explained!)
Thats so crazy it might just work, some of the worlds most bizzare businesses http://startacus.net/culture/that-
The Soundtrack to your startup story
Join Startacus - the Self Start Society!
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
WeWALK, RNIB, and ICL consortium secures UKRI funding to improve mobility for visually impaired and elderly.

The impact of standards, ethics and conduct on business success and profits - Work.Life has some interesting insights...

The lowdown on Space32 - the startup that wants to help hybrid-working businesses find the working space and solution that's right for them.

Global Tech for Good initiative seeks innovative startups and scaleups that are creating positive social impact and enhancing people's lives through tech.

The lowdown on Bidnamic, the startup that's combining advance machine learning with human expertise to help retailers to maximise revenue and profitability from Google Shopping.

Innovative Czech fintech startup 4Trans raises investment to expand first of its type AI driven factoring services across Europe.

Edinburgh-based life science company Cytomos secures funding to support further development of its innovative cell analysis tech.

Ethical Equity and Streets Consulting join forces to deliver Founder Workshop to help close the inequality gap in startup to scaleup funding.

Fancy being featured in this year’s SmallBiz100, which showcases the best of Britain’s vibrant small business community? There's just a couple of days left to do just that!

Screenloop secures major investment to support further development of its AI-driven recruitment platform that helps companies build the best teams and removes unconscious bias.
Published on: 6th March 2014
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.







- Assistive technology innovators and partners awarded £1.7m project funding 1st Jul 2022 WeWALK, RNIB, and ICL consortium secures UKRI funding to improve mobility for visually impaired and elderly.
- How the pandemic affected each industry 27th Jun 2022 New research from School of Marketing reveals the impact that Covid-19 has had on key business sectors in the UK.
- The Finalists of DBACE 2022 are revealed 21st Jun 2022 The lowdown on the innovative young visionaries that are in the running for this year's Deutsche Bank Awards for Creative Entrepreneurs.
- OKAPI: Orbits raises €5.5m for Breakthrough Space Traffic Management Software 13th Jun 2022 Innovative German SaaS startup OKAPI:Orbits secures investment to support its mission of securing efficient and safe operations in space.