Startups are usually a bad idea unless you are a cofounder. It’s not the 2000s anymore. Anything less than series C is just too much risk. If you are not a cofounder that means you are working on someone else’s dream. There are exceptions of course, some startups pay well and help you build a professional network that can be very valuable when launching your own business. But those are very rare today unless again they are already in the expansion phase with lots of cash in the bank. The absolute best move is to put your ideals on pause and join boring but solid companies with an IPO path in the next 2-3 years, and do that 4-5 times from your 20s to your 30s then cash out and go after your dream without being stressed out about money. This would be my plan if I could go back in time.