I have found one advantage of startups as an employee if you want to start your own company down the road is that you get to see easy-to-make management mistake

I have found one advantage of startups as an employee if you want to start your own company down the road is that you get to see easy-to-make management mistake and their repercussions. In a big company, there are systems and structures in place that help prevent some (obviously not all) of those problems, and there is more buffer (financial and otherwise) to smooth out the effects. Personally, I've found working at a startup deeply rewarding and educational, but of course ymmv :)