Is your goal to become a department head? Don't join a startup... three things need to go right. They grow so they need department heads, they don't need you

Is your goal to become a department head? Don't join a startup... three things need to go right. They grow so they need department heads, they don't need you to develop anymore and see you as the best person for the role. Start a side business because you can slowdown at work. Chances are a startup never grows to need a dept head. The goal is usually to stay under 20 and keep everything flat until someone buys them. You have startups who get series financing and they grow quickly over two years and hopefully ipo. But those are not 50 year old businesses.