Why polymathic entrepreneurs are more than “jacks-of-all trades”

When you talk to a few entrepreneurs, a clear pattern emerges. They rarely follow a linear path. Instead, they moved across domains, built serious chops of learning and experience in different roles and systems, and now wear several hats at once: founder, investor, mentor, board member, educator, policy adviser. Unlike the (in)famous expression “jack-of-all trades and master of none” suggests, these are not dabblers. They bring substantial expertise to each role and describe strong synergies among them: academic work improves investing; consulting sharpens teaching; mentoring forces them to integrate insights from finance, strategy, and human behaviour.

Take, for example, Dr Demis Hassabis – a British AI researcher and entrepreneur, and the CEO and co-founder of Google DeepMind. A child prodigy in chess from the age of four, Dr Hassabis became interested in technology after buying his first computer in 1984 and taught himself how to program from books. He subsequently pursued a highly successful career in video game development before pivoting to obtain his PhD in cognitive neuroscience, seeking inspiration in the human brain for new AI algorithms. He held visiting academic roles with MIT and Harvard University, co-authored several influential papers and went on to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry last year. In addition to his leadership role at Google DeepMind, he serves as an adviser on AI to the UK Government and was named one of the “architects of AI”, collectively chosen as Time's 2025 Person of the Year.

“Demis has an impressive trajectory and has very successfully drawn on knowledge from multiple domains to solve important and difficult problems,” said Dr Michael Araki, a lecturer in the School of Management and Governance at UNSW Business School.

“I suspect that, before AlphaFold, even Hassabis himself would have hardly predicted that his work would make a decisive contribution to chemistry,” said Dr Araki. “The deeper issue is that we are trained to think in disciplinary terms, whereas polymathic individuals are often energised by ’meta-disciplinary’ problems, which cut across or even reorganise extant disciplinary boundaries.”

New work by Dr Araki quantifies a phenomenon typified by Dr Hassabis. Having a ‘polymathic orientation’ – a natural tendency to pursue, develop, and apply knowledge with breadth, depth, and integration – can meaningfully shape who becomes an entrepreneur, how they behave, and what they achieve. Building on the 2500-year-old concept of polymathy, he explained that polymathic orientation goes much beyond the idea of developing trades and skills; it is a philosophical stance on how to navigate life, learn, and utilise one’s (broad and profound) knowledge to make a difference.

For his research, Dr Araki surveyed 243 adults to see whether people with stronger polymathic tendencies show distinct entrepreneurial patterns. He found that individuals with higher polymathic orientation scores were more confident in using their skills entrepreneurially, more likely to take concrete pre-startup actions, such as delivering pitches and taking specific training, and more likely to hit key milestones, such as securing funding or generating revenue. The differences are not small. A person high in polymathic orientation (one standard deviation above the average) was roughly 1.76 times more likely to be a successful founder than the average participant, and more than three times as likely as someone low in polymathic orientation (one standard deviation below the average). In other words, the more polymathic your learning style, the greater your chances of stepping into entrepreneurship and succeeding once you do.

Why set out to study polymathic entrepreneurs?

The catalyst for this research was a simple but neglected observation: many entrepreneurs behave like polymaths and are not “jacks” who lack mastery, according to Dr Araki. “Their careers sprawl across sectors and domains, they accumulate deep expertise across functions, and they rely on unusual combinations of knowledge when generating and pursuing opportunities,” he said.

While previous research on traits of entrepreneurs has paid attention to characteristics such as personality, risk-taking, resilience, and passion, there is an additional observation that Dr Araki said many founders recognise in themselves: they are not only driven or confident risk takers; they are lifelong, wide-ranging learners who possess an unusual knack for connecting ideas across domains.

“This broader learning pattern also appears to shape how entrepreneurs navigate uncertainty. In the interviews, founders repeatedly described drawing on experiences from seemingly unrelated fields when making key decisions – whether assessing risk, designing products, dealing with regulators, or managing teams,” said Dr Araki.

“What looked like an eclectic background from a CV perspective often turned out to be a reservoir of insight that enabled better framing, faster adaptation, and more creative problem-solving. These entrepreneurs were not accumulating roles for the sake of variety; they were building a portfolio of capabilities that made them more versatile, more resilient, and more opportunity-aware.”

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It also became evident that polymathic entrepreneurs thrive when ecosystems allow them to bring their full range to the table. Dr Araki explained how many interviewees said their varied experiences helped them act as “connectors” or “translators” between investors, founders, government bodies, educational institutions, and industry players.

“They could speak multiple professional languages, bridge silos, and help solve coordination problems that often slow down young ecosystems. For policymakers, investors, and ecosystem leaders, this raises an important insight: supporting polymathic talent is not only good for individual founders – it strengthens the ecosystem as a whole by enabling ideas, resources, and people to move more easily across boundaries,” he said.

What is polymathic orientation? (And do you have it?)

Polymathic orientation is defined as a dispositional tendency to pursue, develop, and apply knowledge with breadth, depth, and integration. In simpler terms, Dr Araki said it is a personal orientation toward being a polymath – someone who loves to learn many things, master some of them, and connect the dots between them.

To measure this, Dr Araki and colleagues developed the ‘polymathic orientation scale’, a validated instrument with 33 statements that assess those three dimensions. Respondents rate how well each statement describes them, painting a profile of how wide-ranging, non-cursory, and integrative their interests are.

“For example, a good candidate for a highly polymathic person might be someone who studied engineering and philosophy, later trained in design, and now tries to combine these strands in a startup,” said Dr Araki. “Or an artist who also trained in biology, teaches a business course, and designs niche training programs, drawing on all these experiences at once. Rather than a scattershot curiosity (that would be called ‘dilettantism’), polymathic orientation implies intentional learning across domains, commitment to developing real expertise, and a knack for synthesising ideas into something new,” said Dr Araki, who explained that it is this unique mix of qualities that researchers hypothesise can predispose someone toward entrepreneurial endeavours.

Learn more: How investors and entrepreneurs can successfully play the forecasting game

In a nutshell, the PO assessment distils polymathy into three core components:

• Breadth: Do you explore a wide variety of subjects and skills? (E.g. “I find it essential to learn a wide range of subjects to live a fulfilling life.”)
• Depth: Do you commit to mastering topics or crafts over time? (E.g. “I want to pursue excellence through long-term commitment to a topic, skill, or craft.”)
• Integration: Do you seek connections between different fields or ideas? (E.g. “I find purpose in linking concepts others see as unrelated or incompatible.”)

“Individuals scoring high on all three are our modern ‘renaissance men and women’. This newly developed scale provides a quantitative way to identify polymathic tendencies even at early stages of career development. Importantly, it allows us to examine how these tendencies correlate with entrepreneurial behaviour,” Dr Araki explained.

The polymath advantage: Evidence from research

A polymathic orientation allows researchers to more systematically investigate how entrepreneurs translate their polymathic tendencies into meaningful entrepreneurial activity. Dr Araki’s research found that the effects of polymathic orientation held true even after controlling for traditional factors such as personality traits, suggesting that the new scale captures something beyond mere openness to new experiences or extroversion. 

Dr Araki said the research uncovered four key findings:

• Higher likelihood of founding a successful business: Individuals one standard deviation above average on polymathic orientation were about 1.8 times more likely to have success as venture funders than the average person, and more than three times more likely than those one standard deviation below average (approximately 10% founder rate vs. 6% at the mean and 3% for low-PO individuals). In short, the more polymathic you are, the greater the odds of founding a venture with tangible outcomes (e.g., securing funding or hiring employees).
• Greater entrepreneurial confidence and action: High-PO individuals expressed stronger entrepreneurial intentions and self-efficacy (the belief that they can successfully navigate entrepreneurial tasks and challenges). They not only believed more in their ability to start a business but were also more likely to have taken concrete pre-startup actions (such as writing a business plan, researching the market, and networking for a startup) than their low-PO counterparts. They did not just daydream about business ideas; they acted on them.
• Better venture outcomes: A polymathic orientation also predicted success on early venture milestones. Those with higher PO scores were more likely to achieve key startup outcomes such as securing funding, generating revenue, and hiring employees in their new ventures. It suggests that the same traits that help polymathic entrepreneurs recognise opportunities likely help them navigate the challenges after launch, from pivoting strategies to innovating products.
• Entrepreneurs are more polymathic (on average): One of the clearest findings in the data is that founders scored higher in polymathic orientation than non-entrepreneurs. This suggests that PO may be part of the underlying mindset that nudges people toward starting companies in the first place – a way of learning and integrating knowledge that goes beyond simply “having different skills.”

“These findings position polymathic orientation as a notable ingredient in the making of an entrepreneur,” said Dr Araki. “We describe it as a potential ‘micro-foundation’ of entrepreneurship; a foundational disposition connecting lifelong learning patterns with the pursuit of new ventures. In plainer terms, being a polymath may predispose and enable someone to launch and grow a business. The breadth, depth, and integrative thinking that polymaths cultivate seem to translate into real entrepreneurial actions and achievements.”

From curiosity to company: What it means for aspiring founders

For entrepreneurs and would-be founders, Dr Araki said the rise of polymathic orientation in research carries important takeaways. “First, embrace your inner polymath,” he recommended. “If you have eclectic interests and a non-linear career path, do not view that as a weakness to hide; it might be a strength and comparative advantage. Many of the skills and perspectives you have picked up in disparate fields could combine into a novel business idea or give you a creative edge in your industry.”

“The evidence shows that broad knowledge synergy can drive innovation. So, keep feeding that natural curiosity. The next time you feel inspired to learn an unrelated skill or explore a new domain, remember that you might be unconsciously training your entrepreneurial alertness.”

Second, Dr Araki said to avoid fear of breaking out of specialised career paths if they are beginning to feel too confining. Polymathic individuals often thrive when they design their own path, according to Dr Araki, who said this might mean starting a side hustle or venture where you can wear several hats. “The frustration you feel in a narrow role could be a signal that you are ready to build something broader. It is important to be strategic, though. Not everyone should quit their job tomorrow, but you can seek out projects or roles that allow you to be more polymathic rather than feel stuck in a very constrained role,” he said.

Additionally, the most effective polymathic entrepreneurs still develop a substantial level of mastery in key domains – they just happen to have several. “So, diversify your skill set, but also hone core strengths that will anchor and leverage your ideas. For example, early AlphaFold efforts showed promise but clear limitations. Once Demis Hassabis integrated biology and protein science experts into the team, the project reached completely new heights in terms of impact.”

Third, Dr Araki suggested using your integrational ability to avoid the trap of the breadth-depth trade-off mindset. “If both range and depth matter, how does a person realistically develop both? What truly moves the needle is not exhausting long hours but finding a personal rhythm for moments of self-driven exploration while preserving important chunks of the day for deepening existing strengths in ways that feel mutually reinforcing. A new curiosity-driven pursuit does not need to dilute expertise; on the contrary, it can sharpen it. The initial pull to explore can generate momentum, pushing someone to invest more deeply and, at times, uncover connections that strengthen their ongoing work rather than distract from it,” said Dr Araki. 

“The founders who thrive are the ones who spot how a lesson from engineering sharpens a sales pitch, or how experience in marketing helps redesign an internal process. The connective skill of weaving those things together into sharper decisions and innovation is often where new value is created.”

Finally, Dr Araki said the research's implications extend to how we educate and support future entrepreneurs. “Traditional career advice often pushes specialisation, but the entrepreneurial world clearly has room – and need – for individuals with range,” he said. “Problem-based courses, in-depth innovation programs, and the acknowledgement that students have meaningful engagement with hobbies can be a great benefit for nurturing polymathic capacity in our entrepreneurs or would-be entrepreneurs, especially when paired with techniques grounded in polymathy research and the study of exemplars of polymathic creativity and innovative entrepreneurship.

Learn more: Why passionate entrepreneurs fail: The missing success factor

“The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor shows rising opportunity recognition worldwide, but also high fear of failure. Adding a narrow range of skills may do little to close that gap; building confidence and entrepreneurial alertness through a combination of broad, profound, and integrative learning may matter more, particularly as entrepreneurial problems increasingly demand a rare mix of knowledge – exactly what polymathic thinkers bring to the table.”

For business leaders, Dr Araki also highlighted a practical takeaway: supporting employees who explore multiple domains can expand organisational opportunities, since novel ideas frequently come from people who integrate knowledge rather than keeping it siloed. “The next useful insight or innovation may come from someone who draws on broad experience, deep expertise, and the ability to connect ideas across domains – the three elements that define polymathic contribution,” he concluded.