While many startups need less money to start, they still need money to grow

I hate it when people put together charts (especially with labeled axes, clearly marked data points, etc.), and then say this:

This is an entirely theoretical chart. There is absolutely no real data behind this chart. That said, it does reflect our experience investing in about thirty "web 2.0" companies over the past seven years.

But, if they have a business model from the start, they need less money to grow.

these numbers aren't correct.

FourSquare didn't grow to 2m users on $1m. Last month before they publicly closed their financing, they had 25 employees and were expanding (http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/28/checking-in-to-foursquare-a...). Maybe Dennis used his own cash but it certainly cost more than $1m.

The Foursquare example is great, they got traction first then went for a seed round. It's a helluva lot easier to raise money that way.