Hackers, Startups and business in uncertain times

Its the classic "how do I get from here to there" issue. The current S curves are stuttering, the new ones are starting up, but: (i) the current value of new business can't make up for the loss of old (usually exacerbated by new business being sold at a discount to gain market share by newer startups). (ii) it is unclear which stepping stones are going to lead to the new S curve, and which are dead ends.