When you think of a typical startup founder, you might immediately imagine a recent college grad working away in a coffee shop wearing the latest tech-cool fashion. Certainly someone with a computer science-related degree. If you’re a bit older and have a different sort of background, you’ll probably be relieved to know that that image isn’t accurate. Actually, the age range, background, and types of work experience of startup founders vary more than you think. Here are several characteristics that might surprise you.

1. Background

Do you assume that you need a computer science background in order to launch a startup? Think again. Less than 20% of startups are founded by computer science majors. The skills required to get a startup off the ground successfully have much more to do with business acumen than technical skills. Having a business background and working in some sort of management-consultant capacity makes it much more likely that a person will make the leap into tech entrepreneurship. Some sort of backing from a venture capital fund is a plus, too.

2. Age

There’s a common misconception that there’s an endless wave of young, super-green startup founders barely out of their teens taking over the startup industry. Actually, most of them are a good bit older. According to Bloomberg, they tend to be in their late 30s, and over a third of them are over 40. This is encouraging news. Life and work experience bring steadiness and a long-term perspective that builds the foundation for sustainable success.

3. Longevity

You might expect that startup founders get their businesses going extremely early in their careers. In fact, the contrary is true. Many spend time at the same job for several years before going solo, gaining valuable skills and experience. They’re seasoned professionals with both technical skills and business savvy.

4. Experience

Getting experience working at a startup makes it more likely that you’ll launch one yourself. In fact, almost half of founders have that kind of background. That makes sense; working in that sort of environment in a lower-stakes position provides an opportunity to observe carefully, mentally take notes, and gain ideas and inspiration to apply later. You also get to observe possible pitfalls and mistakes of others that you can possibly prevent when you launch your own business.

Startup founders possess a mix of maturity and experience. Those qualities serve them well as they scale their businesses.