I've been maybe not the last but one of the last handful quite a few times. If you don't believe in the company or don't like working with the people there, the

I've been maybe not the last but one of the last handful quite a few times. If you don't believe in the company or don't like working with the people there, there's no reason to stay. If you like being there, and you think it could work, I'd say to look for three things: First, think about if there is a "turning point" moment that you're working toward. E.g. are you close to shipping your alpha, is there a big show coming up that could realistically generate a lot of publicity, etc? There's always some deadline or artificial milestone but is there a real one that people are actively working towards and isn't just wishful thinking? Or is everything just plodding along waiting for a big break to just happen? Secondly, do you have a few customers (or testers) that are very passionate about your product? You don't need a lot of them, but if there is one or two people that really love the product that's a good sign that it's a real thing. Third, how has the company or CEO handled bad news in the past? Was it a surprise or did they let everyone know it was coming and try to prepare together. If they're not being honest about their trajectory and their funding it can be a pretty unpleasant situation, but if everyone is working together to right the ship it can be a positive and bonding moment. Finally, I would say to make sure you set the ground rules with your manager or CEO about payment. e.g. "I really want to see this company succeed and I will do everything I can to make it happen, but I have my own financial obligations, so I won't be able to come in if I haven't been paid yet for the previous pay period." etc. It's extremely common for people to go weeks or months unpaid and then the company goes dark suddenly and you're left without recourse. This is not even due to shady people or fraud, it can be good, well intentioned folks that think they have a solid line on more funding that falls through, or just aren't tracking finances carefully enough.