Neill Dunwoody is a passionate professional who thrives on innovation and collaboration. He is the founder of Spryt, Chief Talent Strategist, and Head of Ireland with Tribes.
Imagine launching a startup with one of history’s greatest visionaries by your side. Who would you choose? From trailblazing innovators to business moguls who changed the world, the right co-founder could shape your success. Let’s explore the strengths of these legendary figures and see who would be your ultimate business partner.
The founder’s dilemma: Vision, execution, leadership, or purpose?
Startups are brutal. They consume you and demand your energy, your creativity, and your time in ways you never expected. They push you to innovate, pivot, lead, and inspire, often all at once. And while many founders set out with a clear mission, the weight of building something from nothing can overshadow everything else in their lives, including the passions that once fueled them.
During the pandemic, when the world was on pause, I found time to return to one of my own forgotten passions: digital art. I picked up my Wacom tablet and started drawing. As I created portraits of four legendary artists, David Bowie, Prince, Freddie Mercury, and Bob Marley, I realized that each of them embodied a fundamental trait that every great founder needs.
If you could bring one of them onto your founding team, who would it be?
Would you choose the visionary, the perfectionist executor, the charismatic leader, or the purpose-driven builder? Let’s break it down.
David Bowie: The visionary who reinvents the game
Every startup needs a Bowie. A founder who can see what’s coming before anyone else does, someone who isn’t afraid to challenge the status quo and reinvent themselves over and over again.
Bowie’s genius wasn’t just in his music. It was in his ability to shape culture, anticipate change, and constantly evolve. He didn’t just follow trends; he created them. From Ziggy Stardust to the Thin White Duke, he adapted before the world even knew it needed something new.
A Bowie co-founder would be the person pushing your company into the future, forcing the team to think beyond what’s obvious today and design for what’s next. He’d be the one spotting market shifts before competitors and ensuring the brand always stayed fresh, relevant, and just a little ahead of its time.
In a world where startups live or die based on their ability to adapt, wouldn’t you want someone like Bowie leading the way?
Prince: The relentless executor who controls every detail
If Bowie is the visionary, then Prince is the obsessive executor, the founder who refuses to cut corners, who won’t accept mediocrity, and who demands excellence in every single detail.
Prince was a one-man army. He played every instrument, produced his own records, controlled his distribution, and even fought his label for the rights to his own music. He was meticulous, disciplined, and uncompromising in his standards.
A Prince-type co-founder would be the operation's mastermind, the one making sure everything works flawlessly, from product development to customer experience. He’d be the founder who sweats the details, ensuring the company’s vision isn’t just ambitious but executed with absolute precision.
In the world of startups, where execution is everything, Prince would be the one making sure no shortcuts were taken and that the company delivered on every single promise.
Could your startup survive without someone like that?
Freddie Mercury: The charismatic leader who unites the crowd
You can have the best idea in the world, but if you can’t inspire people to believe in it, it doesn’t matter. That’s where Freddie Mercury comes in.
Freddie wasn’t just a performer; he was a force. His ability to command an audience and make thousands of people feel like they were part of something bigger is the exact quality that separates good founders from truly great ones.
A Freddie Mercury co-founder would be the one rallying investors, motivating employees, and turning customers into evangelists. He’d be the one who could walk into any room and instantly make people believe in the vision, no matter how ambitious it was.
Startups often fail not because the product is bad but because they can’t sell the story. Freddie wouldn’t just sell it; he’d make people feel it.
Would your company benefit from having someone like Freddie Mercury standing at the front, leading the charge?
Bob Marley: The mission-driven founder who builds with purpose
And then there’s Bob Marley, the founder, who isn’t in it for the money, the fame, or the IPO but because he truly believes in the mission.
Marley’s music wasn’t just music it was a movement. It was about changing the world, breaking down barriers, and uniting people under a common cause. He never lost sight of that, even when the industry tried to commercialize him.
A Bob Marley co-founder would be the one who keeps the company focused on its core mission, its values, and its deeper purpose. He’d be the one ensuring the business wasn’t just about profits but about impact, integrity, and legacy.
In a world where founders often get lost in the grind of fundraising, scaling, and exits, wouldn’t it be powerful to have someone who reminds the team why they started in the first place?
So, who would you choose?
Startups are hard. They require vision, execution, charismatic leadership, and purpose, ideally, all at the same time. But let’s be real: No single founder embodies all of these traits perfectly. That’s why the best companies are built by great teams.
Some of us are Bowies, always looking toward the future.
Some of us are Princes, perfecting every little detail.
Some of us are Freddies, leading with passion and energy.
And some of us are Marleys, keeping the mission at the heart of everything.
Which one are you?
Me? I’m Bowie.
What about you?
Drop your thoughts in the comments. I’d love to hear your take.
The passion that gets left behind
When I created these portraits during the pandemic, it wasn’t just about drawing. It was about reconnecting with a passion I had forgotten in the all-consuming whirlwind of startup life.
Building a company takes everything out of you. The late nights, the endless problem-solving, the pressure, it leaves little room for anything else. You stop playing music, stop writing, stop drawing, stop doing the things that used to bring you joy.
But here’s the thing: Creativity fuels entrepreneurship. It gives you the space to think differently, to step back and see the bigger picture.
So, I’ll leave you with this question:
What’s something you used to love doing but haven’t made time for lately?
Maybe it’s time to pick it up again.
Read more from Neill Dunwoody
Neill Dunwoody, Founder and Talent Strategist
As the co-founder and COO of Spryt and Chief Talent Strategist and Director at Tribes, I lead two disruptive startups transforming healthcare and tech talent and digital transformation. Spryt's AI receptionist, ASA, reduces patient no-shows by offering 24/7 appointment management via messaging platforms like WhatsApp, increasing patient engagement by 160%. Tribes connect businesses with prequalified tech talent and run an award-winning digital studio. I also advise Manna, Prommt, and HR Duo, working on cutting-edge drone delivery, payments, and AI-driven HR solutions. A HIMSS Pitchfest winner, I use my 812k TikTok and 426k Instagram followers to advocate for innovation. My focus remains on building companies that solve real problems.
