So maybe "startup young" really is the wrong way to go? Would perhaps be better to earn as much money as possible as an under 40 person, and then go about startupping from 40 onwards?
I was kinda shocked back in business school to learn that the age of an entrepreneur is a significant factor in success - the older you are the more likely you are to succeed. The explanation was that you have more contacts, more experience, and more money.
That being said, there's probably no better way to increase your chances of success than failing miserably, preferably several times.
The canonical example is Ray Kroc, who took over a little company called "McDonalds" starting at age 53.
There are no hard and fast rules - just do what makes you happy. If having a family will make you happy, just do it! That's what I did, I'm 27 with 2 kids (and struggling to find time for my side projects) and it works great for me. If you want a wealthy family, then you're better off waiting, because not only do kids cost (primarily for the bigger house/apt in neighborhood with schools), they take time away from working longer to make more $$. But the right answer depends on you.
But if the goal is to have successful startups, then live cheap, start young, and try and many times as you can endure! A 40 year old who has already done 10 startups is probably a lot more likely to succeed than one who hasn't done any.
In what way do choices become limited? Financial security becomes more important, and less time is available? But are these really too impeding factors?
