In the past few years, the intersection of genetics and behavior between dogs and humans has become a fascinating area of research. For me, as someone juggling startups and implementing neuroscience insights into my entrepreneurial frameworks, this topic offers more than just scientific intrigue, it taps into understanding personality traits, decision-making, and emotional intelligence. When I came across these studies about genetic links between dogs and humans, I couldn't help but see potential parallels with entrepreneurial traits. Ultimately, both fields traverse the complexities of behavior molded by nature and nurture.
This concept reminds me of the startup ecosystem. Just as our genes lay a foundation but don’t dictate outcomes, our personal challenges and external situations shape how our talents, traits, and reactions manifest. I took this as inspiration and started analyzing these fascinating genetic links in more detail. Here’s what stood out to me.
Insights and a Few Striking Findings
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Shared Genes Between Humans and Dogs
Research conducted by the University of Cambridge and sourced from golden retrievers highlights twelve key genes tied to behaviors such as fear, aggression, and energy levels. These very genes in humans are linked to three central traits, anxiety, intelligence, and depression.
In entrepreneurship, it seems obvious how genetic predispositions toward things like high intelligence or low anxiety can affect success, but knowing that environmental factors also play a huge role should prompt everyone to take less rigid views of success. -
Genes Don't Dictate Behavior, They Shape It
An exciting takeaway is the concept of behavioral flexibility. Dog genes associated with trainability, aggression, or energy adapt depending on environmental triggers. This insight mirrors the adaptability that startup founders are often pushed into, success thrives more on how we adjust environmental inputs, rather than innate characteristics. -
Lessons from Inter-Species Parallels
The genetic study highlights overlaps yet profound differences in how genes express across species. In dogs, fear manifests as stranger anxiety, while similar genes in humans align with depression and social withdrawal. For startups, changing markets and cultural shifts should always be considered stimuli that change us over time. Adaptation to these "triggers," both personal and professional, determines sustainability.
How This Applies to Entrepreneurs
Several lessons stood out that directly translate into business contexts:
1. Your Traits Are Like Your Startup DNA
Just like these dog genes form a foundation for traits, your personal traits mold your entrepreneurial approach. Whether you’re predisposed to risk-taking or meticulous planning, these tendencies can guide how you work, negotiate, and build communities.
2. External Factors Make or Break the Journey
The findings emphasize environmental adaptability, the same is true for entrepreneurs. Pivoting strategies, engaging meaningfully with changing customer needs, or simply protecting your mental health as the founder can determine how far you go.
3. Train Your Responses
In dogs, trainability, and its genetic underpinning, determines adaptability to new challenges. For founders, improving emotional management and considering how decisions are processed is key. Emotional intelligence becomes your trainability module, and a skill entrepreneurs can actively develop.
Common Mistakes Female Founders Can Avoid
These biological findings highlight mistakes I’ve seen even in successful entrepreneurship circles. Breaking assumptions and recalibrating based on them can push your trajectory further.
- Mistaking personality traits as static: They evolve from the interplay of genetics and environment, much like how businesses need constant restructuring. Leveraging change for growth is the rule.
- Ignoring the importance of emotional pivots: Female founders often aim for rational pivots without addressing emotional groundwork. Working on how you mentally adapt will make those changes smoother.
- Over-judging initial characteristics: Just because your traits seem fixed doesn’t mean you cannot manage external inputs for better outcomes. Entrepreneurs often claim they “don’t do sales” or “aren’t creative,” before realizing these skills can grow.
My Guide to Building Emotional Adaptability
If entrepreneurial success mirrors golden retrievers’ adaptability under genetic pressures, there’s real merit in honing emotional flexibility as founders. Here’s a quick guide I’ve personally followed:
- Understand your baseline personality: Take time to reflect on whether risks, relationships, or networking come naturally.
- Pinpoint environmental inputs affecting you: Maybe you thrive under pressure, or collapse under it. Spot patterns early.
- Consciously expose yourself to triggers: Expand your comfort zones gradually, whether by accepting scary business negotiations or dealing with rapid feedback.
- Train for emotional pivoting: I use tools like PlayPal for scenario-based role-playing, it’s perfect for trying new entrepreneurial approaches in low-risk contexts.
- Celebrate adaptability: Every emotional win is not proof of your traits improving, it’s proof you’re molding yourself effectively under external environments.
Putting Genetics into Perspective
What fascinated me most about this study is the concept that behavior needs both genetic and experiential roots to bloom. While focused on dogs and humans, it offers a broader perspective. Why? Because entrepreneurship isn’t just about starting companies, it's about knowing when to start, when to adapt, and when to trust your own instincts.
Whether you're watching a puppy grow into a protector or reclaiming your workspace post-failure to build something better, the same principles apply: nurture what is natural but build what is adaptable. For us female founders, especially across Europe, there’s a critical need for this skill.
Learn more about behavioral insight studies at University of Cambridge research on dog-human overlaps.
Final Thoughts
Science is a mirror we entrepreneurs rarely choose to look through, but studies like these are more relevant than they seem. Whether it’s exploring emotional flexibility, becoming trainable to investors’ feedback, or fostering team dynamics without letting your personality overwhelm decision-making, genetics remind us adaptation is not about losing control. It’s about shaping your responses.
For better or worse, Violetta Bonenkamp-founder magic isn’t genetic, it’s nurtured through constant pivots, conversations, and emotional alignment. If dogs genetically trained out aggression for their survival, we founders can surely train out the fears holding our success hostage.
FAQ
1. What genes affect both dog and human behaviors?
Research shows that twelve key genes linked to behaviors such as fear, aggression, and energy in dogs also influence human characteristics like intelligence, anxiety, and depression. Explore Cambridge research on dog-human genetic overlaps
2. How do environmental factors influence behavior alongside genetics?
While genetics provide a blueprint for behavior, environmental triggers play a crucial role in shaping how these traits manifest in both dogs and humans. The adaptability to these inputs is critical in determining outcomes. Read more about behavioral flexibility in dogs and humans
3. Can trainability in dogs teach us about human emotional adaptability?
Yes, dog trainability, which is linked to genetic factors, offers insights into human emotional intelligence and adaptability. Just as dogs can learn new behaviors, humans can train emotional responses to thrive under changing conditions. Learn more about dog trainability genes
4. Are behavioral genes in dogs and humans expressed differently?
These genes often lead to species-specific behaviors. For instance, dog genes for fear can lead to anxiety about unfamiliar people, whereas the equivalent human traits might result in depression or social withdrawal. Read about gene expression in dogs and humans
5. How does genetic predisposition affect entrepreneurship?
Genetic traits like intelligence, anxiety levels, and emotional flexibility can influence decision-making and adaptability in entrepreneurial contexts. However, success is greatly influenced by environmental factors and the ability to pivot and adapt.
6. What is the significance of inter-species genetic research?
Studying genetic overlaps between dogs and humans has broad implications for understanding emotional regulation, adaptability, and the shared biological roots of behavior. Discover shared genetic traits in dogs and humans
7. Can personality traits, like creativity or risk-taking, be developed?
Yes, while traits may have a genetic foundation, they can evolve through experience, training, and environment. For example, entrepreneurs often develop skills like creativity even if those traits don’t come naturally.
8. Why are golden retrievers ideal for behavior genetics studies?
Golden retrievers are a single breed with a relatively uniform genetic background, making them ideal for studies that focus on genetic versus environmental influences. Learn about the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study
9. How do genetics and emotional intelligence interact in entrepreneurs?
Like dog behaviors, human emotional intelligence depends on both genetic predispositions and external factors. Entrepreneurs can train their responses, much like dogs, to navigate high-stress situations effectively.
10. Can animal studies improve human self-awareness?
Inter-species genetic studies show behavioral parallels that highlight the importance of adaptability. Entrepreneurs can use these insights to better understand and manage their own innate tendencies. Learn more about business lessons from dog genetics
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.