This. You can be average or mediocre at a big company as there are lots of places to hide. There is nowhere to hide at a startup, in addition, a single hire can

This. You can be average or mediocre at a big company as there are lots of places to hide. There is nowhere to hide at a startup, in addition, a single hire can make or break a startup. More then anything a startup is just a collection of talent. Unlike a big company which might have physical assets, IP and other valuables. A startup is really just a pool of talent. So if there isn't any, well it wasn't going to work.