Something big is shifting in the founder economy. According to the 2026 UBS Global Entrepreneur Report, 63% of American founders are actively planning to exit their businesses. Not someday. Not eventually. Right now.
The report surveyed 215 elite founders with a combined $34.3 billion in annual revenue and found that nearly a third of global entrepreneurs are considering an exit within the next five years. For founders aged 65 and older, that number jumps to 57%. But the surprise is how many younger founders are joining the exit conversation, too.
Why American Founders Are Leading the Exit Wave
The 63% figure puts U.S. entrepreneurs far ahead of their global peers. In Europe, only 38% are planning exits. In Asia-Pacific, the number drops to 18%. Benjamin Cavalli, Head of Strategic Clients and Global Connectivity at UBS, put it simply: “Entrepreneurs are not preparing for retrenchment. They’re preparing for reinvention.”
The drivers aren’t what you might expect. This isn’t a wave of burnout-driven departures or pandemic pivots. Founders are bullish. A full 68% reported optimism about their business prospects over the next 12 months. And 80% plan to expand their workforce over the next five years. They’re not leaving because things are bad. They’re leaving because the timing feels right.
One key factor: 61% of surveyed founders view AI as their greatest commercial technology opportunity. Many are using this moment to build AI-powered efficiencies into their operations, boosting valuations before they sell. When your company runs leaner and smarter, the multiple goes up.
How Founders Are Actually Cashing Out
The IPO dream is fading fast. Only 6% of founders planning an exit envision going public. Instead, 40% expect to sell to a strategic buyer within their industry, a move motivated by the higher valuations that corporate synergies can justify. Think of how Wix acquired Base44 for $80 million earlier this year, or how private equity firms are snapping up profitable SaaS companies at record pace.
Another 23% plan to pass their business down to the next generation, though that number has been declining steadily as more founders prioritize liquidity over legacy.
The secondary market is also playing a larger role. Platforms like Forge Global and EquityZen are making it easier for founders to sell partial stakes before a full exit. Clay, the data enrichment startup, recently hit a $1.3 billion valuation, and early employees and founders used tender offers to take millions off the table without giving up control.
The Wealth Gap Most Founders Don’t Talk About
Here’s the uncomfortable truth buried in the UBS data: 47% of U.S. founders admit they haven’t built enough personal wealth outside their business. Globally, that number sits at 32%. Their net worth is locked inside a single illiquid asset, and they know it.
This is pushing 42% of founders globally to plan a post-exit shift toward personal wealth accumulation. They’re thinking about exit strategies and valuations earlier than previous generations did, and they’re getting more sophisticated about it.
Tax planning is a massive part of the equation. According to the report, 61% of exiting founders are focused on tax-efficient asset transfers, and 67% are prioritizing responsible wealth transfer to heirs. The days of building a company, selling it, and figuring out the rest later are over.
What This Means If You’re Still Building
The exit wave doesn’t mean entrepreneurship is dying. It means founders are treating their companies more like assets and less like identities. And that shift has real implications for anyone still in the building phase.
First, competition for strategic buyers is heating up. If 40% of founders are targeting the same exit route, differentiation matters more than ever. Buyers want companies with defensible moats, recurring revenue, and clean financials.
Second, the founders who exit successfully are the ones who planned for it years in advance. That means running audits like a public company, maintaining a solid exit strategy from day one, and keeping your cap table clean.
Third, the small business reality check is real. While the UBS report captures elite founders, the NFIB Small Business Optimism Index fell to 98.8 in February, with hiring plans at their lowest since May. The gap between well-funded founders and bootstrapped operators is widening.
The Bottom Line for Founders in 2026
The 2026 UBS report makes one thing clear: the best founders aren’t just building companies. They’re building exits. Whether that means selling to a strategic buyer, using the secondary market for partial liquidity, or structuring a tax-efficient transfer to the next generation, the playbook has changed.
If you’re a founder who hasn’t thought about your exit yet, 63% of your American peers already have. The question isn’t whether you’ll eventually leave your business. It’s whether you’ll be ready when the moment arrives.
