> The entire purpose of starting a company is to get acquired.
Certainly not in terms of expectation value. Most of the value of a startup at any given funding round is driven by the possibility of a public listing. This is true even though most successful startup outcomes are acquisitions.
> Of the literally hundreds of companies that YC has invested in, only 5 have gone public.
Certainly not in terms of expectation value. Most of the value of a startup at any given funding round is driven by the possibility of a public listing. This is true even though most successful startup outcomes are acquisitions.
> Of the literally hundreds of companies that YC has invested in, only 5 have gone public.
The correct number is 18, not 5. [1]
[1] https://www.ycombinator.com/topcompanies/valuation (select the "Public" tab.)