The flipside is that maybe the execs aren't good enough to get the kind of funding necessary to build the company effectively, or that the business idea (beyond "improving kids' education") is not viable in its current implementation path.
One of the founders has successfully sold a start-up in China in the past and the CTO has sold 2 in the US. The product fit still isn't 100%, though. The business has gone through a couple of pivots just in the time I've been there.
It should go without saying that before hitting market fit is a terrible time to take on overly mercenary employees. Goal #1 is to survive off of the money long enough to reach that point.
Goal #1 should be to get to that point, goal #2 being to be able to pay someone else to do it. Goal #1 only involves paying someone if you can't do it yourself, and if that is so, you have to achieve goal #2 to an extent that it ensures goal #1.
