I personally think it depends on when we're bought out and when a company is able to pull the trigger.
As some have eluded to, the more milestones and achievements we knockdown, the higher the eventual buyout price will be (if we go that buyout route). Picture it as a risk anaylsis for the eventual company that buys us out. Right now we're extremely promising, strong management team, streamlined the company structure (losing solar and focusing on the moneymaker), extremely successful engineering team.
Now we have some big steps we're on the way to achieving. If a company has to add on risk that MS5&7 will be completed in the short term then they will offer less money than if that's already been accomplished and added to the list. If a company has a concern about us making it to 100nm and then we make it, it's much less risk for them.
The biggest thing going for us is the confidence that companies as renown as NASA and BAE are supporting us. Our device is in a deep space probe for NASA. Companies built on stilts are not working with BAE and Nasa. We've built a strong foundation. If we got bought out today I wouldn't even know how to value us but someone more knowledgable on here could maybe share. I think people are talking 5-10$. Now if we go and do Ms5&7, BAE, 100nm level I mean there is much less risk and we've taken on that risk and achieved it and therefore the numbers would likely go even higher for a buy out.
I've got my chunk I'm keeping till monetization (I'm thinking buyout) and I've got the other half (50%) which I will sell on the way up starting north of 2$