Bootstrapping Course: Welcome

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Featured Videos

The Startup Velocity Question: What Hinders Acceleration in VC Funded Companies?

I have been running 1Mby1M since 2010. I find myself saying to entrepreneurs ad nauseam that VCs want to invest in startups that can go from zero to $100 million in revenue in 5 to 7 years.

Startups that do not have what it takes to achieve velocity should not be venture funded.

Experienced VCs, over time, have developed heuristics to gauge what constitutes a high growth venture investment thesis. 

The Accelerator Conundrum: Navigating Your Path to Startup Success

The Accelerator Conundrum is a multipart series that challenges the prevailing wisdom of the tech startup ecosystem that entrepreneurs should Blitzscale out of the gate. Written by Sramana Mitra, the Founder and CEO of One Million by One Million (1Mby1M), the world’s first global virtual accelerator, it emphatically argues that a better strategy is to Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later, focus on customers, revenues and profits. 1Mby1M’s mission is to help a Million entrepreneurs reach a million dollars in annual revenue and beyond. Sramana’s Digital Mind AI Mentor virtually mentors entrepreneurs around the world in 57 languages. Try it out!

Alright, let’s cut through the noise and get to the brutal truth of the startup accelerator world. Many entrepreneurs, starry-eyed and naive, leap headfirst into 3-month accelerator programs without truly understanding the long-term implications. It’s time for an incisive commentary, a necessary dissection.

Top Non-Equity Accelerators in Florida

This article summarizes the top non-equity accelerators in Florida for bootstrapped and solo founders, comparing them to 1Mby1M across key dimensions like equity, delivery model, stage focus, and mentoring depth.

By Guest Author Kanav Sah | Reviewed by Sramana Mitra

In The Accelerator Conundrum series, Sramana Mitra identifies a structural flaw baked into the dominant accelerator model: founders are asked to give up 7-10% equity at the earliest and most uncertain stage of their venture, in exchange for short-term cohort programming that rarely translates into long-term sustainability. The better path is Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later, and it starts with equity preservation.

Featured Videos

Top Virtual Accelerators in Seattle

This article summarizes the top virtual accelerators in Seattle and compares them to 1Mby1M.

By Guest Author Jenish Budhathoki | Reviewed by Sramana Mitra

Seattle is one of the most dynamic startup cities in the United States. Home to Amazon, Microsoft, and a thriving community of deep tech, AI, and enterprise software startups, Seattle has built an ecosystem that rivals Silicon Valley in technical talent and innovation density. The city hosts over 28 accelerators and incubators accepting applications in 2026, spanning industries from biotech and maritime tech to cloud computing and AI. Yet for all its dynamism, Seattle’s accelerator landscape has a fundamental problem — one that mirrors a challenge facing founders across the entire country.

Cisco Lays Off to Fund AI Boom

Last month, Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO) announced its third quarter results that delivered record revenues. The company is benefiting from AI-related orders. Besides announcing a record quarter, it also announced significant layoffs.

Video FAQs

Top Virtual Accelerators in Finland

This article reviews the top virtual accelerators in Finland for bootrapped and solo founders, and examines how they compare to 1Mby1M across key metrics.

By Guest Author Rishi Rajesh | Reviewed by Sramana Mitra

How has a country that hosts close to 5.6 million people quickly become one of the world’s largest tech startup powerhouses? Finland punches par above its weight in the global startup arena. The ecosystem boasts around 2000+ active startups, has raised a record of $1.6 billion in 2025 alone, and has produced over 21 unicorns, including household names such as Supercell, Wolt, and Oura. 

Top Virtual Accelerators in France

This paper outlines some of the leading virtual accelerators in France and compares them against 1Mby1M across key dimensions. This paper is based on The Accelerator Conundrum blog series – a multipart research paper written by Sramana Mitra, Founder & CEO of 1Mby1M, who questions the prevailing belief that startups need to blitzscale right from the start, favoring instead the Bootstrap First strategy.

By Guest Author Kase Chang| Reviewed by Sramana Mitra

June 11 – 730th 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable for Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs are invited to the 730th FREE online 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at 8 a.m. PDT / 11 a.m. EDT / 5 p.m. CEST / 8:30 p.m. India IST.

If you are a serious entrepreneur, register to Pitch and sell your business idea. You’ll receive straightforward feedback from Sramana Mitra, advice on next steps, and answers to any of your questions. Others can register to Attend to watch and learn.

You can learn more here and REGISTER TO PITCH OR ATTEND HERE. Please share with any entrepreneurs in your circle who may be Interested.

729th 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable Recording

In case you missed it, you can listen to the recording here:

Roundtable Recap: June 4 – 1Mby1M Curriculum + AI Mentor + Free Udemy Course May Save Founders 5-15% Equity

The traditional accelerator model is broken. By demanding 7% to 10% equity at the pre-revenue or pre-product stage, equity-charging accelerators initiate an aggressive dilution clock that often leaves founders with little control over their own destiny. This Venture Trap manufactures Zombie Startups, companies that are operationally stuck because they scaled before achieving repeatability.

In my latest paper, AI Mentor Compulsory for Running a Startup Accelerator, I outline how we are using technology to give that power back to the founders.

By combining the 1Mby1M Curriculum, our AI Mentor, and a specialized Free Udemy Course, we provide a cognitive architecture that allows you to bypass the early dilution treadmill. Here is how this stack saves you 5 to 15% in equity: