Concept

Default alive

Default alive means the company can survive indefinitely without new outside capital. It is not 'we bought six more months.' It is 'we no longer need a round to exist' — usually paid for with headcount, ambition, or the story the next investor wanted to hear.

Where founders get this wrong

Calling yourself default alive when you still need a bridge to make payroll next quarter.
Cutting to default alive without deciding which product bets and key people survive the cut.
Raising as if nothing changed after a default-alive reset that rewrote the growth narrative.