1. Startups have a high(er) chance of pivoting out of something you don't want. They aren't stuck selling you the same bloated database (or whatever).
2. Don't buy from startups that don't have a path to monetization and growth. If the path leads to no where. That's not a company, that's a resume bullet point.
3. Don't buy from a startup just because they're a startup. If they suck at service, they're not worth your time and money.
4. Yes, startups should fit to customer expectations. But if a big company's or govt's buying model prevents them from buying a superior product, then maybe something is wrong with the buying model. Govt buying decisions led to a $300M webapp. Marc Benioff offered to build and host it for free for 5 years.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/health... "A White House official said the administration could not have accepted the offer, because it ran afoul of federal contracting rules."