This is basically the typical pattern for successful enterprise start-up exits. However, the only way I've seen this work out is if working for that big custome

This is basically the typical pattern for successful enterprise start-up exits. However, the only way I've seen this work out is if working for that big customer is instrumental in the start-up exiting quickly, and this requires some experience by management to understand if a big customer is a potential acquirer or someone just trying to get out of working with a bigger company at typical enterprise b2b transaction profiles (very expensive, very slow). If so, then the costs of that customer are better weathered by a bigger company anyway because bureaucracy and long sales cycles are not a specialty of any start-up in the world. But admittedly, over time this results in big companies taking on the technical and relationship debts of the companies they acquire and the larger company becomes slower and less agile.