Generally it's not you making the decision but some investor who needs to close out a 10y fund and can force the sale through some nasty term in the SHA.

In a unicorn situation, the founder will generally take money off the table early and will be okay regardless. Just look at WeWork.

It certainly is, but in the US there have apparently been enough incentives for some founders not to accept an offer at that level. Some of those founders have gone on to build their businesses up to billion-dollar valuations, with dominance in their field, and now they've become the ones doing the investing and acquiring for the next generation of tech businesses. We have almost none of that in Europe, and I think it's important to ask why. I don't believe we lack people with ideas, skills and entrepreneurial instincts, and that means something else is getting in the way.