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The Public Option

kishen-patel.com · 741 words · saved by 1 readers

After a long pause, tech IPOs are finally showing signs of life again, with recent listings from CoreWeave, MNTN, and Chime. It feels like the perfect moment to revisit a critical question: Should founders and VCs really care if their companies ever go public? There’s a common argument out there that venture capital should chase returns wherever they come from—private secondaries, acquisitions, buyouts, or IPOs. Founders often share this perspective; after all, either route typically leads to life-changing wealth. Plus, running a public company isn’t exactly a walk in the park. Reporting, earnings calls, quarterly pressures—who wouldn’t want to skip that headache? Maybe that’s why we’ve seen fewer companies going public over the past couple of decades. But here’s my take: if you’re an ambitious founder or venture investor, going public should still be your ultimate goal. Why? Because the truly generational businesses driving lasting impact are almost always public. The reason boils dow

After a long pause, tech IPOs are finally showing signs of life again, with recent listings from CoreWeave, MNTN, and Chime. It feels like the perfect moment to revisit a critical question: Should founders and VCs really care if their companies ever go public? There’s a common argument out there that venture capital should chase returns wherever they come from—private secondaries, acquisitions, buyouts, or IPOs. Founders often share this perspective; after all, either route typically leads to life-changing wealth. Plus, running a public company isn’t exactly a walk in the park. Reporting, earn

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