One of the most common refrains in the generative AI era is that “startups are growing faster than ever” — often with fewer resources. Some notable examples? Per company metrics, Lovable hit $50 million in revenue in just six months, Cursor reported $100 million in revenue in its first year, and Gamma reached $50 million in revenue on less than $25 million raised. But for the average AI company (not the top 0.1%), what does growth really look like? Pre-AI, a common benchmark for best-in-class en...