Note: One of the most common pieces of feedback we receive from entrepreneurs is that TSF partners don’t think, act, or speak like typical VCs. The Contrarian Series is meant to demystify this, so founders know more about us before pitching.

For Wattpad, it was exactly ten years between raising our first round of venture capital in 2011 and the company’s acquisition in 2021. Over that decade, we discussed countless topics in our board meetings.

But one topic we never discussed? Exit strategies.

I distinctly remember, a couple of years before the acquisition, I raised the question to a board member. “We’ve been venture-backed for almost ten years now. Should we start talking about exit…”

I couldn’t even finish the sentence. That board member cut me off:

“Allen, I just want you to build a great company.”

That moment stuck with me. Only after the acquisition did I fully appreciate the significance of those ten years as a venture-backed company without focusing on an exit.

Wattpad’s four largest investors—USV, Khosla Ventures, OMERS, and Tencent—enabled us to focus on building the business, not selling it. OMERS, as a pension fund, and Tencent, as a strategic investor, don’t operate under the typical 10-year fund cycle that drives many venture firms to push for exits. USV, with its consistent track record of generating world-class returns, had the trust of its LPs to prioritize long-term value over short-term outcomes. And Khosla Ventures? Well, no one can tell Vinod Khosla what to do, and he loves making big, long-term bets.

Their perspectives freed us to focus on building a great company rather than prematurely worrying about how to sell it.

In early 2020, a year before Wattpad was acquired for US$660M, we set an ambitious company objective: to become “Investment Ready.” This meant ensuring we could scale profitably and confidently project $100M+ in revenue with a minimum of 40% year-over-year growth. By the end of 2020, we wanted to be in a position to choose between preparing for an IPO (we even reserved our ticker symbol WTPD), raising growth capital to accelerate expansion, or scaling organically without any additional funding.

When an inbound acquisition offer came in mid-2020, this optionality proved invaluable. It allowed us to run a proper process with multiple interested parties. We were clear with potential acquirers: our preference was to remain independent. If the offer wasn’t higher than the value we could command through an IPO, we weren’t interested, and we would walk away. Because we had the fundamentals to back it up, no one doubted us.

This underscores an important point: the best way to generate a great outcome is to build an amazing business. Focus on creating value, and optionality will follow.

Any CEO who claims to have an exit strategy—especially in the early stages—is either naïve, disillusioned, or lying.

Here’s the reality: M&A is far less common than people think. The pool of serious potential acquirers often narrows to just a handful in the best-case scenarios. And even then, the stars have to align—you need the right timing, the right strategic fit, and the right price. It’s easier said than done.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I ignored the idea of acquisition entirely (and founders should consider M&A, but only under the right circumstances, and I will save it for another blog post). For instance, we built relationships with potential strategic acquirers and stayed aware of the landscape. But the time I spent on this was minimal. Even my leadership team occasionally asked why I never talked about M&A. The answer was simple: it wasn’t a priority.

Too many founders overthink their “exit strategy,” and it often backfires. Changing their product to appeal to a potential acquirer? Building one-sided partnerships in the hope they’ll buy the company? Hope is not a strategy.

The same goes for VCs. Some overthink their portfolio companies’ “exit strategy” because they worry about selling before the 10-year fund window closes. While this concern is valid, it doesn’t mean they should push their best portfolio companies to sell. There are many ways for VCs to liquidate their positions without forcing a sale. Ironically, the best way for a founder to help their investors exit is to focus on increasing enterprise value. Shares in a great company are always in demand.

For an early-stage startup, having an exit strategy is as absurd as asking an infant to decide which jobs they’ll apply to after university. The founders’ job is to nurture that infant—raise them into a great human being. The results will follow.

Build a great business, and everything else will fall into place. There’s an old saying: Great companies get bought, not sold. It couldn’t be more true.

P.S. Founders, if you have an exit strategy slide in your pitch deck, please remove it before pitching to us. TYSM!

P.P.S. This blog is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You are free to copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given.