---
schema: 1
type: term
title: _ringing the bell_
description: >-
  In the channel’s captured material, **_ringing the bell_** refers to taking a
  company public — the ceremonial bell rung at a stock exchange during an IPO.
  It appears in Mike Maples’ conversation about how AI startups can win against
  better-funded incumbents, where it stands for the conventional funding-and-IPO
  milestone that the episode contrasts with winning through **business model
  innovation** and **counter-positioning**.
canonical: >-
  https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/ringing-the-bell-e7984b229f5a
markdown: >-
  https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/ringing-the-bell-e7984b229f5a.md
llms: null
parent: 'https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/llms.txt'
channel: everyinc
updated: '2026-10-23T22:12:35.346Z'
language: null
children: []
---


# \_ringing the bell\_

Canonical: https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/ringing-the-bell-e7984b229f5a

Parent: [Channel index](https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/llms.txt)

## Definition

In the channel’s captured material, **_ringing the bell_** refers to taking a company public — the ceremonial bell rung at a stock exchange during an IPO. It appears in Mike Maples’ conversation about how AI startups can win against better-funded incumbents, where it stands for the conventional funding-and-IPO milestone that the episode contrasts with winning through **business model innovation** and **counter-positioning**.

The phrase **_ringing the bell_** comes up in the conversation with **Mike Maples** — cofounder of Floodgate and co-author of _Pattern Breakers_ — about how AI startups can win against far better-funded incumbents. In that context it refers to the stock-exchange milestone of taking a company public: the ceremonial bell a founder rings at an IPO. Maples’ argument in the episode is that founders chasing money and conventional milestones are often playing the wrong game. The takeaway, per the episode’s framing, is that **business model innovation beats product innovation**, that startups can **counter-position against giants like OpenAI**, and that AI rewards **systems-level thinking**. Against that backdrop, _ringing the bell_ serves as shorthand for the familiar funding-and-IPO path — the very path the episode asks builders to question when they explore which strategic move fits their own stage.  - _Ringing the bell_ = taking a company public at a stock exchange, in the episode’s framing. - Mike Maples uses it against the backdrop of arguing that AI startups don’t need more money — they need a better strategy. - The episode pairs the phrase with **business model innovation** and **counter-positioning** as the more decisive moves.