Quote from: HeRetiK on October 11, 2018, 01:18:21 PM

Quote from: FunGate on October 10, 2018, 05:30:48 PM

Firms can now privately raise hundreds of millions of dollars privately.

Because we've been in an incredible bull market for more than a decade, interest rates are close to nil, confidence is high and money is plenty.

Once the next bust cycle begins -- ie. the "beginning of the end for the stockmarket" -- even large scale investors will lick their wounds, leading to a decrease in private investment. Which in turn will many companies see requiring public investment again.

Quote from: FunGate on October 10, 2018, 05:30:48 PM

Also, since most new startups are digital in nature, they just don't require as much backing. Software can be copied at almost zero cost.

What modern startups can save in terms of infrastructure and distribution, they need to make up in terms of expertise. Software development ain't cheap. Scaling a business isn't either, even in the digital realm.

Many of those behind the startups are software developers willing to work for free until their vision becomes a reality, this sort of competence is becoming nearly mainstream, and AI will be a useful tool for the common man to create complex applications someday soon. As for the scalability, it depends on the business, but still only requires a handful of talented people instead of hundreds or thousands.