Unicorn or bust is the name of the game. Once you understand that it’s not so bad.
It’s also possible to level-up pretty well from an acquisition, where maybe the equity was not life changing but you’re now in a bigco at a higher level than you’d otherwise be. The trap there is that many startup folks are not cut out for bigco life.
But yeah if you were dreaming of sailing off into the sunset you need to be a founder (or remarkably lucky). That’s one reason why there’s so many startups.
It’s also possible to level-up pretty well from an acquisition, where maybe the equity was not life changing but you’re now in a bigco at a higher level than you’d otherwise be. The trap there is that many startup folks are not cut out for bigco life.
But yeah if you were dreaming of sailing off into the sunset you need to be a founder (or remarkably lucky). That’s one reason why there’s so many startups.