@rossfledderjohn: 88% of VC-backed founders walked away with zero. Not 88% of the ones who exited. 88% of everyone who raised. Economists at Wharton and the University of Zurich (Azevedo, Scheuer, Smetters and Yang) went through 157,669 US startups and 248,454 founders from 1987 to 2025. In 81% of cases the founders get wiped out as a group. Even when there's an IPO or acquisition, any one founder has a 39% chance of having left before the payday. Meanwhile the top 1% take 79% of all the value. The company's exit and your exit are two different numbers. Know your liquidation preferences and vesting before you sign. Would you still raise knowing these odds? Follow for more AI related news

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Wednesday 28 October 2026 13:59:24 GMT