early stage startups that still are in heavy development are better off being holed up in their offices working day and night That's the part I disagree with.

early stage startups that still are in heavy development are better off being holed up in their offices working day and night That's the part I disagree with. Facing your potential customers, the press and key players, is not something you'll do if you stay locked up in your office. You learned a valuable lesson: no one cared about the awesome startup you are working on. It's disappointing, and there can be many reasons for that (wrong audience, bad pitch, bad product). But at least the delusion you may have had that as soon as you show your product, everyone will love it... well now reality set it.