The identity of a brand is built through its story. It is similar to the way our identity and personality becomes a reflection of major events and the story of our life. The story of founders of these brands in a way gets spilled over to the brands sometimes positively, and sometimes negatively.
If you are building a new brand, tell a story. As a startup, following the MBA jargon is good, but it reduces the human touch. The human touch is what gives a brand a personality and makes it memorable.