I sold my apartment, cashed out my pension, and took on debt to build a semiconductor startup. I'd do it again.
THE SO WHAT
Founders mortgaging their lives to build semiconductor companies underscores how capital- and conviction-intensive this layer is—this is not a SaaS risk profile. If you’re building in chips or deep hardware, assume fundraising will reward extreme personal commitment and long timelines, and structure your cap table and burn accordingly.
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