Late stage growth investors won't tolerate giving away a bunch of stock and will hold companies accountable like a public company that runs them off a cliff. The fast cycle time of creative destruction in free market capitalism has contributed to this level of tolerance.
The recent sale of The Athletic for the same price it raised two years ago suggests a shift in SAS company valuations, and experts predict that some companies will sell for under a billion dollars. It will take a few high-profile deals to establish this new valuation level.
The speaker suggests that VCs should focus on sub-$15 million companies in the seed round if they have a good product and customer base. It is vital to accept the reality of VC cycles, or else you will struggle to obtain funding.
The difficulty of Monte Carlo simulations in generating product market fit and innovation to make money is observed, and the investment team involved in such projects are usually not first-time founders or great pitch men.
Instead of focusing solely on positive metrics, it's important to identify and try to resolve negative ones early on. This approach can prevent the degradation of unit economics and ultimately help the company succeed.