Should a startup publicize its funding, valuation and press coverage, or stay deliberately quiet?

Miki Kuusi · Nov 28, 2022

Staying out of international tech press for years was the right call for Wolt

Consumers, merchants and couriers don't read international tech press; press coverage brings distractions and inbound demands; being unknown made outreach feel like letting candidates in on a secret; and in a cutthroat industry competitors do follow what you do — foreign companies followed them into Japan within half a year of announcing rounds

Scope: at least it worked for us; specific to a cutthroat industry where competitors watch each other

30:17 20VC: Wolt CEO, Miki Kuusi on Leadership Lessons Scaling to a Reported $8.1BN Exit to Doordash, Building Teams not Families, The Difference Between Trust and Safety Within Companies, How To Use Compensation to Create Culture & Why You Should Not Be Lookin

Cliff Weitzman · May 9, 2026

If you find lightning in a bottle, you shouldn't tell other people about it — hence Speechify doesn't disclose funding or valuation publicly

Publicising a working business invites competitors in

Scope: leadership team knows internally

65:31 20VC: What I Learned from 100 of the Best CEOs in the World | What I Learned from Staying with Mr Beast for 3 Weeks | How We Will Spend More on Tokens than Salaries with Cliff Weitzman, Speechify

Cliff Weitzman · May 9, 2026

Companies should avoid press coverage — users should come for the product, not because coverage flagged you to competitors

Press invites competitors rather than the right users

67:08 20VC: What I Learned from 100 of the Best CEOs in the World | What I Learned from Staying with Mr Beast for 3 Weeks | How We Will Spend More on Tokens than Salaries with Cliff Weitzman, Speechify

Harry Stebbings · Nov 28, 2022

Founders should announce their funding rounds; the fear of tipping off competitors is unfounded

A competitor won't change its whole strategy because of a TechCrunch article, and if it would, it won't be a competitor for long

29:55 Announce funding rounds since competitors wont change strategy over press

Cliff Weitzman · May 9, 2026

There are only three reasons to publicise fundraising numbers — attracting users, hiring, and attracting investors — and a company that already has all three should stay quiet

Speechify already gets abundant users, 178,000 engineering applicants a year, and ten inbound investors a week, so announcements add nothing

66:05 Announce only if you still need users hires or investors