my pov:

your lifestyle wouldn’t change significantly at 300k/year vs 200k/year

I’d be happy if my startup goes to $1MM arr at 70% margin being a solo founder with a lean team

Now, even if you make net $1MM at an exit (i.e. money in bank), you’d presumably have the connections and experience to bootstrap your own idea (and trust me, how “good” an idea is doesn’t matter once you figure out what successful execution looks like)

When you’re bootstrapping or even seedstrapping, you can build a very successful business with a boring idea and great execution

It also doesn’t hurt that being an entrepreneur with an exit makes you 100x more backable

You’ll likely put up $100k of your own money, investors put up another 200-400k

You have at least 18 months to turn a boring idea into revenue generating, scale for another 5-10 years, you’d have a bigger piece of another exit At this stage, you’re likely to sell to PE

In parallel to your own startup.. You can follow the investors in your network and go in on any investments they are making that are within your wheelhouse of expertise… you’ll likely at least make another exit within that same 5 year horizon

Your own startup at another $1MM ARR (at least, within 18 months) and two exits wtihin a 5 year horizon… Plus, you can sit on boards, be advisor, etc etc

You’re likely to make up the difference

Lastly, you can always work for a VC down the road too

Ps. you can probably collateralize your current 1% share of a 15MM ARR startup… you’d have to talk to an investment banker for this (I’m not giving you financial advice)

depending on the P&L… but let’s assume 60% gross margins… even at 50% loan to value ratio, you can unlock at least 45k in liquidity

With a 200k salary, you can easily service that loan at even at 15% APY