[cornholio]

Well, what you describe is basically the experience of any non-US startup founder, and especially those in poor, non-OECD countries.

No matter how good your idea and flawless your execution are, there's always an American venture capitalist ready to throw $100 million at some local copycat that will hire 20x mediocre staff and will soon bury you by simply moving faster and making splashes. Meanwhile, you are trying to pitch the idea to local cash-strapped investors, and they will expect 51% stake for a 200k investment - I kid you not.

It's the way of the world, capitals compound and scale makes it easier to grow. It's has always been like that, regardless if what you call capital is family wealth and connections, access to selective educational opportunities, access to the largest national market in the world, girls from modeling agencies etc.