SO you've successfully developed a concept, built a working model that generates revenue and your numbers suggest that you're on to something - that holy grail of a "product-market fit". You have also excelled at the early-stage funding exercise, validated by a comfortable seed and perhaps Series A fundraising. Now, you're well on the way to that x dollar valuation with dreams of changing the world. What's next?

The truth is, many private companies struggle to secure later stage funding, and the euphoria and support enveloping great concepts at early stages will not always translate to Series B funding and beyond. Everyone knows the alarming statistic that 90 per cent of startups fail. Being part of the 10 per cent that experience early success doesn't mean you're out of the woods yet.

The eventual success or failure of a private business depends on a whole slew of factors, and poring through each of them isn't the focus of this discussion. We're taking a closer look at how a significant factor can increase the likelihood of success of your company, and you needn't look much further than your very own capitalisation table.