[vidarh]

The problem is you don't always know it's doomed. A company I co-founded got to within 5 days of insolvency before we secured the next $5m round. The company never got a big exit, but it did sell a few years later, and the product still exists 22 years after.

I think the big question is how well communicated the risks are. In our case I believe everyone knew, and there'd have been no hard feelings if people had chosen to look for new jobs once funds got tight.

[rdl]

FedEx famously got to within days of running out of money early on, and there is a story Fred Smith made payroll by taking the remaining cash to Las Vegas and gambling.