The story of technology growth has changed this year. How has this impacted transparency?

When Vijay Chattha was creating a startup, his competitor was what some would call a media darling. The contest had a good story, which sparked interest from investors. In turn, this interest helped attract key customers. And so the cycle repeated itself. Chattha ultimately sold that company in a lukewarm exit and took an important lesson with it: earned media has the power to be a kingmaker.

Chattha is now the founder and CEO of VSC, a public relations firm that has helped launch more than 600 businesses. The firm works with startups at all stages and recently introduced a $21 million venture capital firm to back the companies it advises. (Or, as Chattha puts it, to put some skin in the game).

Now, 20 years later, Chattha is reflecting on the impact of the cyclical nature of technology on its relationship with the media, the power of sharing real numbers, and whether founders should prepare for fall on their sword in the name of transparency.

"I think it's a dangerous thing. It's like water. If you don't have publicity, you can get dehydrated. But if you have too much, you can drown. Vijay Chatta

My entire conversation with the entrepreneur can be found wherever you listen to podcasts, so listen if you prefer audio over words (in which case, what are you doing here‽).

Below, we've excerpted several key excerpts from the interview for your reading pleasure.

What's your reading of founders' vulnerability right now when it comes to publicly sharing struggles?

Vijay Chattha: It depends on the founder. Is this their first startup, their second or their third? In general, what I find is that the more successful and wise you are, the more transparent you are over time, and maybe even cynical, right? But first-time founders, they're under a lot of pressure [to do] whatever the VCs or people hired around them tell them to do. They have to. They are very worried about competitors reading this stuff.