Building my startup for 12 years: how to win the long game
“HA! That’s THREE times as much funding as their competitors now!”, he shouts gleefully, eyes scanning Crunchbase as if it’s a celebrity gossip forum.
We’re hanging out on a Saturday with the kids, and I’m trying to steer the conversation away from business.
But my old friend can’t help but get distracted by the incessant notifications announcing new funding rounds. I don’t blame him.
That’s the thing about hyper-growth startups: they’re exciting to follow.
Will they be able to raise their next round of funding, or crash and burn?
Who will they hire and fire fast?
Will they become glittering unicorns — or just another casualty in the ever-growing tech graveyard?
These are the narratives spun by today’s startup media, whose limelight shines exclusively on the unicorns native to Silicon Valley.
Turbo-charged by VC money and famed for their super-speedy growth, they’re defined by a current valuation of $1bn + and boast huge vanity metrics.
