Starting my own business v. Becoming a QR

Hey folks!

I'm a PhD student at a top US university. My research area is AI for edge computing--think of drones, robots, and the like. I really like what I'm doing, and I think this area will be super hot over the next years. The opportunities in humanoid robots and self-driving cars will be insane.

On top of that, I also have a previous business experience--built a company from scratch with a couple of friends and sold it for a decent amount of money. My university has a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem (e.g. legal, industry connections, alumni network) that would certainly help a lot.

So yeah, I'd certainly shoot my shot if something meaningful comes out of my research. I have some interesting results so far, but nothing too fancy. Although, to be fair, you don't need much to raise a couple of millions around here.

Here's the catch, though: am getting older and my wife wanna have kids soon. I've interned once as a QR and it was pretty fun tbh. Would certainly do it again if I have to.

Since this website is quite risk averse (I think), please tell me why it would be a terrible idea to start my own thing. If I'd still like to do it after all your negative comments, then maybe I should really do it :) Thanks!