IMHO if you can work with a startup that is using technology you find interesting, that would be the best thing - you'd get a lot more breadth of experience and you'd have more of a chance to play with newer stuff. If you do join a big company, like you mentioned, make sure it isn't one of those Java shops where you wouldn't learn anything. I think that's a perfectly legitimate thing to ask in an interview - what kind of technology you would have the opportunity to work with.