23 founder-led brands. $14B+ in exits. The operating principles behind their valuations — and what happened when those principles were kept or broken.
The percentage of a brand's value that comes from founder principles rather than category fundamentals. A brand with 80% PP gets most of its pricing power from the founder's vision.
How likely the brand's value is to decline if the founder departs or principles change. Scored 0-100. Higher = more risk.
The measurable value destroyed when an acquirer or operator breaks the founder's principles. Supreme's PVC is $600M+.
The most recent transaction value, market cap, or estimated valuation. We track the full chain: what the acquirer paid and what happened after.
"Laopu has placed itself in a state of no competition. To this day, we have not felt any competitive pressure."
"If expansion speed outstrips the brand's carrying capacity, brand momentum declines. Many brands don't die from expansion speed but from insufficient momentum at the end."
"That's not growth, that's poison. It brings the Aman level down to their level."
23 founder-led brands organized by category. Click any brand for full profile.
Plug The Founder Index directly into your AI workflows, Claude projects, or internal tools.
{
"brand": "Supreme",
"founder": "James Jebbia",
"category": "Streetwear",
"founded": 1994,
"principles": ["Scarcity as Strategy", "Community-First Distribution", "Radical Independence"],
"exit": {
"amount": "$2.1B",
"acquirer": "VF Corp",
"year": 2020,
"current_value": "$1.5B"
},
"scores": {
"principle_premium": 0.85,
"transition_risk": 92,
"principle_violation_cost": "$600M+"
}
}{
"category": "Luxury",
"brands_count": 8,
"avg_principle_premium": 0.62,
"total_exit_value": "$28B+",
"common_principles": [
"Vertical Integration",
"Anti-Marketing",
"Controlled Scarcity"
],
"brands": ["loro-piana", "chrome-hearts", "brunello-cucinelli", "..."]
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