This paper assembles primary and third-party data on a four-front shift inside the B2B startup market. Buyers now research vendors across five surfaces (LinkedIn, Google, podcasts, ChatGPT, Perplexity) before they ever take a meeting. AI search has rewired both the buying funnel and the recruiting funnel. CEO and founder reputation has become a quantifiable share of company market value.

Founder-led companies are pulling away from peer cohorts on valuation, on customer acquisition cost, on sales cycle length, and on talent attraction. The aim is a clean read of the evidence, not a prescription. Conclusions and primary sources are in Appendix B.

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