Isn't that basically one of two possible paths for a startup? It seems like these days, most people aim for an "exit", ie. either an IPO or acquisition by one of the big companies. You don't often see people talking as if their endgame is to keep running and growing their company indefinitely.
All of the focus seems to be on getting to the next series of funding. The survivability metric used is not income over burn rate, it's investment dollars over burn rate. The whole goal is to get as big as possible then exit.
You can keep running and growing your company indefinitely after an IPO, the liquidity provided just helps you grow faster by also leveraging the business' equity.
All of the focus seems to be on getting to the next series of funding. The survivability metric used is not income over burn rate, it's investment dollars over burn rate. The whole goal is to get as big as possible then exit.