I agree. It's more about getting big than growing fast. A startup could spend years perfecting its model and technology before going full force.
Perfect example: YC funds startups only. YC funded a company working to cure HIV. That is going to take a decade probably. When they are ready they will be big in an instant.
A startup could spend years perfecting its model and technology before going full force.
Yeah, that's really exactly it. The way I've put it before is that you choose the model that fits where you are in your lifecycle. Or you grow slow, until you choose to (try to) grow fast. I'm not opposed to VC per-se or anything, but our mindset has always been "do it when the time is right". We get a handful of paying customers, real revenue and feel convinced that we've nailed the whole "product /market fit" thing, then we might decide it's time to turn on the afterburners or whatever. But right now, while more money would make some things easier, I wouldn't feel good about taking that on.
It's the thing about startups - everybody talks like they actually succeed. It should be "if", not "when".
The actual measure of success is both size and revenue. Without the former it's a small company, without the latter it's going to get bankrupt unless it changes - with implosion proportional to size.
"An instant" is a huge hyperbole, let's start with verification, legislation, distribution, certification and all other kinds of legal nightmare to get a treatment on the market. Not to mention politics if it's (not) affordable.
Perfect example: YC funds startups only. YC funded a company working to cure HIV. That is going to take a decade probably. When they are ready they will be big in an instant.