There are plenty of other ways to exit that don't involve an IPO. Acquisition, selling shares on secondary markets or privately etc...
Doing VC the wrong way can make your life hell, but taking all the risk yourself and bootstrapping is in its own right a special kind of hell if you're not careful.
IMHO, it's all about time horizon. Working on a startup for 3-4 years without a clear product market fit or some kind of exit is a waste of time unless you're a Jensen (which most of us aren't anyways).
And is worse to fail losing your own time and money than to fail losing VC money. In the second case, you can get up and try it again easier than in the first case.
Doing VC the wrong way can make your life hell, but taking all the risk yourself and bootstrapping is in its own right a special kind of hell if you're not careful.
IMHO, it's all about time horizon. Working on a startup for 3-4 years without a clear product market fit or some kind of exit is a waste of time unless you're a Jensen (which most of us aren't anyways).