Or just don't take VC money in the first place. Then: Networking doesn't come with strings attached (or money), you have zero incentive to grow too fast, and there's no reason that you MUST make 2 billion dollars or shut down the business.
Seriously I've lost count of how many useful services have shut down because they couldn't eat the world, because just making really good money but not incredible ALL THE MONEY wasn't good enough. And for what? Some time in the public eye and a ton of money to blow on dumb shit like San Francisco offices that reduce productivity and a metric assload of hardware you didn't need in the first place.
It cuts both ways though. I am sure there are even more useful services out there that you never heard of because they didn't have enough money to market or distribute their product. The VC route and bootstrapping each have their advantages/disadvantages.
Seriously I've lost count of how many useful services have shut down because they couldn't eat the world, because just making really good money but not incredible ALL THE MONEY wasn't good enough. And for what? Some time in the public eye and a ton of money to blow on dumb shit like San Francisco offices that reduce productivity and a metric assload of hardware you didn't need in the first place.