[icedchai]

I'd start by reading "The Millionaire Next Door." It basically boils down to 1) get a decent paying job, 2) live below your means, 3) save/invest the rest of your money for 20 to 30+ years.

Hitting 3 "about-to-IPO" companies that actually do IPO and also give you a decent return is very, very low probability. One of the first startups I worked for, during the dot-bom boom, went IPO. Less than two year later it was near bankruptcy. Everyone's options were under water. Maybe a couple guys cashed out a bit, but nothing life changing.

[snowisgone]

Is there a faster way beyond the first three steps? Surely there is a more nuanced "meta" (for lack of a better term) in making money in software?

[icedchai]

How fast are you looking for? You can think about it as a speed being inversely proportional to probability of success.