> Should a startup be forced to go public just to raise their series A?
Maybe? Going public just means that you have to report certain information about your financials to the SEC. I get why companies don't want to do that, but if VC investments are going to start being traded as part of 401k plans I'm not sure why the public shouldn't get to see that information. It seems feasible and reasonable to maintain an exception for what you might call "true" private equity, where specific people buy and sell specific companies rather than trading them in liquid markets.
Maybe? Going public just means that you have to report certain information about your financials to the SEC. I get why companies don't want to do that, but if VC investments are going to start being traded as part of 401k plans I'm not sure why the public shouldn't get to see that information. It seems feasible and reasonable to maintain an exception for what you might call "true" private equity, where specific people buy and sell specific companies rather than trading them in liquid markets.