Even not having a finished product, just work as much as possible - have proven code you can show companies, understand why it would work, understand how it wou

Even not having a finished product, just work as much as possible - have proven code you can show companies, understand why it would work, understand how it would scale, etc. and it will prove you can work in the real world. Also start ups tend to look for smart people over someone with 20 years of experience - if you kick ass at what you do, you'll get a job you want.