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Being Fast Moving Does Not Mean “Proceed Directly to Go”

January 17th 2014

One of the misconceptions of the technology sector is that it’s inherently dynamic nature means that businesses grow (or decline) much faster than other activities.  The very nature of disruptive businesses can mean that once established players can deteriorate apparently overnight.

But that does not necessarily mean that any start-up entrepreneur can expect to reap the rewards of exit in double quick time.  Analysis from the US reveals that it takes an average of 7 years for notable technology businesses to go public or be acquired.  Further, a fair proportion will remain in non acquisitive private ownership (perhaps for lifestyle reasons) which only extends the average further.  There are exceptions (You Tube, Instagram for example) but these are not the norm.

So it’s more of a marathon than a sprint with many hazards before the entrepreneur playing piece can reach the monopoly Go and collect

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