IIRC, many startups have been funded by investors based upon purely traction, not profit. I am not saying that that is the optimal path, but still a viable one.

IIRC, many startups have been funded by investors based upon purely traction, not profit. I am not saying that that is the optimal path, but still a viable one. For example, Facebook went a LONG time before they actually started making money. They created something that people wanted and consequently gained a lot of traction. Later down the line, they were able to turn the traction into profit. "In September 2009, Facebook said that it had turned cash-flow positive for the first time." Facebook was founded in 2004.