Answering the Proust questionnaire gives top founders the opportunity to pause for a moment and engage in self reflection, allowing others to see them in the most genuine and relatable way. For the rest of us, it gives a glimpse into the true nature and characteristics of the people who are virtually running our modern world.

Blessed are the geeks. For they shall inherit the earth.

I am a tech startup founder myself, though by no means anywhere near as successful as my interviewees, who founded either the world’s top tech giants by market cap, or unicorn startups/scaleups. I wish there were such interviews available to read, so I could get to know the inner workings of these great minds on a more casual, personal level. This project is a tribute to the great human beings behind global tech names, some of whose logos are likely on the first screen of your smart phone.

At first, I was only planning to have a website for it, but recently I had a brainwave about publishing them as an ebook, and a printed book.

So here we are, welcome to Mycroissants.com, a dedicated website to read about the world’s greatest startup founders. First interviews will be live this summer, and the book will follow by the end of this year.

What's the Proust Questionnaire?

Named after the writer Marcel Proust, the Proust questionnaire is a set of questions which aims to reveal one's personality, values, and perspectives by delving into various aspects of their life and preferences. It typically includes a wide range of questions, covering topics such as happiness, fears, virtues, admired individuals, personal traits, and more. The questions are introspective and can provide insights into a person's character and worldview.

The Proust questionnaire has been adapted for many prominent figures and celebrities, offering a gateway to their thoughts and personalities. Vanity Fair has done the Proust questionnaires for luminaries such as Pele, Tina Turner, Kazuo Ishiguro and David Bowie.

Some of the questions from the Proust Questionnaire include:

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Which living person do you most admire?

What is your greatest extravagance?

What is your current state of mind?

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Why Top Startup Founders?

There are many interviews and writings on top startup founders sharing how they came about the idea for their startups, how they built and led a team, how they raised funding, secured the first clients/users etc. There may be some personal answers, but those are secondary to the main, business subject of making it as a startup.

True nature and characteristics

The Proust Questionnaire delves into more informal aspects of a founder's life, humanises their story and provides a more comprehensive understanding of the person behind the startup. It allows us to go beyond the public image and learn about their passions, habits, and aspirations. I hope these interviewees are inspiring for founders of fledgling startups like myself, as they offer a glimpse into the mindset and experiences of those who have already achieved significant success. It adds a personal touch to the usual narratives around startups and entrepreneurship, allowing others to connect with the founder on a deeper level and potentially learn from their experiences.

For those who are not startup founders, these provide fascinating reading about top founders’ sources of inspiration, their approach to risk-taking, their attitudes towards failure and resilience, and their overall philosophy towards life. You can choose to learn and apply these to any aspect of your life as you see fit.

Click here to read a hypothetical 'Steve Jobs Answers the Proust Questionnare' that I attempted via ChatGPT.

All other interviews are real, which I have conducted myself with the founders and co-founders.

Why Croissants?

Croissant, apart from being one of the world's favourite pastries, also means 'growing' in French, from the French verb croître' . I embrace the growth mindset and I imagine most founders do.

I'd like the interviews to be casual and personal. Founders can answer the abridged Proust questionnaire in the time it takes to eat a croissant.

Wasn't Proust more enchanted by the madeleines?

You really know your stuff, don't you? Ok, I've chosen croissants as they're more universal. Who can resist a coffee and a croissant for good conversations?