21 hours ago
- Founders should know whether their startup is 'default alive' (profitable without further investment) or 'default dead' (will run out of money), but many don't ask this critical question.
- The 'fatal pinch' occurs when a startup is default dead with slow growth and insufficient time to fix it, often due to late awareness.
- Founders should separate facts from hopes and have a plan B for survival if fundraising fails.
- Over-hiring is the biggest killer of funded startups; growth often stems from product appeal, not employee count.
- Instead of over-hiring, founders should focus on improving the product and seeking growth through non-scalable methods.