alt Hacker NewsFrom what I have seen startups have it a little easier. They are usually focused on one product and often just get acquired before having to go to market themselves. Selling multiple products worldwide and complying with regulations is a totally different ballgame.
These people are at the 'scale up' stage now and and - successfully - have a foot in the door and are shipping volume all over the world.
So it is definitely possible. But it isn't common, that's definitely true.