Restart Founder
A restart can be a real start.
Downturns create founders: in 2020, 30.2% of new U.S. entrepreneurs started out of necessity. WE helps you see the road before you commit to it.
For anyone starting after a layoff, a caregiving gap or a career disruption who wants to turn it into a durable company.
Turn a restart into a company built to last.
What usually gets in the way
- Time and cash pressure, with income needed now.
- Sectors that are easy to enter and hard to last in.
- Not knowing yet whether to commit for years.
What WE does
- An honest first look: is this a business WE should build with you yet?
- A niche that uses the industry experience you already have.
- A staged plan, with an initial term and notice after it.
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16.7%
of new entrepreneurs started out of necessity in 2025, down from 30.2% in 2020
Kauffman Indicators of Entrepreneurship, National Report (2025) . 2020 and 2025.
Derived: 100% minus the opportunity share the report prints (83.3% in 2025, 69.8% in 2020).
These figures describe all new U.S. businesses, not WE's results.
Necessity share of new entrepreneurs
Share of new U.S. entrepreneurs who started out of necessity, 1996 to 2025: it peaked at 30.2% in 2020 and was 16.7% in 2025.
These figures describe all new U.S. businesses, not WE's results.
Share of new U.S. entrepreneurs who started out of necessity, 1996 to 2025: it peaked at 30.2% in 2020 and was 16.7% in 2025.
Source: Kauffman Indicators of Entrepreneurship, National Report (2025) .
Show the data
| Year | Share of new entrepreneurs who started out of necessity |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 18.9% |
| 1997 | 20.5% |
| 1998 | 19.2% |
| 1999 | 16.1% |
| 2000 | 13.6% |
| 2001 | 17% |
| 2002 | 23.2% |
| 2003 | 22.9% |
| 2004 | 20.7% |
| 2005 | 20.9% |
| 2006 | 19.2% |
| 2007 | 19.8% |
| 2008 | 19.3% |
| 2009 | 26.2% |
| 2010 | 25.8% |
| 2011 | 25.9% |
| 2012 | 21.6% |
| 2013 | 21.8% |
| 2014 | 20.4% |
| 2015 | 16% |
| 2016 | 13.7% |
| 2017 | 15.6% |
| 2018 | 13.8% |
| 2019 | 13.1% |
| 2020 | 30.2% |
| 2021 | 19.1% |
| 2022 | 11.7% |
| 2023 | 14.8% |
| 2024 | 17.7% |
| 2025 | 16.7% |
Questions people ask
- I need income now, not partners.
- Understood. WE is a fit when the business can carry a team. Until then, start with a year-one plan and your local SBDC.
- I cannot commit to years.
- You commit to an initial term. After that it runs by notice. The plan is written for years so you can see the road, not so you are locked in.
The long game
Move fast every week. Build for the decade.
A restart is a fresh clock. Ship every week, and build for the decade this time.
Every week
Fast, and written down.
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1 Plan The week’s cycle is set in writing. -
2 Build A dedicated team ships the work. -
3 Report A written status, every week. -
4 Decide You say yes or no to the next cycle.
Every year
Patient, because the odds turn slowly.
Most new businesses close in the first five years. After that, each year survived makes the next more likely. WE paces the work to that curve.
Join the programs that fit
A restart is easier alongside others.
People who have been through it understand a restart. Founder communities and local support give you company while WE steadies the build.
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Founder communities
Peers who know what a restart takes.
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Local small business support
Advisers and training near you.
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Coworking spaces
Somewhere to go and people to see.
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SBIR and STTR
A technical restart can apply to SBIR and STTR like any other small business.
Independent programs that WE encourages founders to consider. No affiliation or endorsement is implied. WE works alongside them, for the long run.
How it fits
The core of the business can be built on a screen: software, a digital product, or a service run on software and expertise. You can fund a team from revenue, savings, outside capital or a corporate budget.
Sources
- National Report on Early-Stage Entrepreneurship in the United States: 2025, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation . Accessed October 14, 2026.