Startups lose their spark when they either: 1. Go from "more to gain" to "more to loose" thinking. 2. Growth slows and either ethics or vision are sacrificed.

Startups lose their spark when they either: 1. Go from "more to gain" to "more to loose" thinking. 2. Growth slows and either ethics or vision are sacrificed. Both of these are natural, and the people will have to change. In most companies, eventually growth stops (at least growth driven by the original vision). Eventually you really do have more to lose than gain. The signal these transitions are happening can be spotted by proliferation of guardrails and process controls, and a cultural change towards risk aversion. The drive is to make everything predictable, controlled and safe. The focus is no longer on acceleration, and is on momentum.