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.

Colors: Curtains in the Wind VIII

I’m publishing this series on LinkedIn called Colors to explore a topic that I care deeply about: the Renaissance Mind. I am just as passionate about entrepreneurship, technology, and business, as I am about art and culture. In this series, I will typically publish a piece of art – one of my paintings – and I request you to spend a minute or two deeply meditating on it. I urge you to watch your feelings, thoughts, reactions to the piece, and write what comes to you, what thoughts it triggers, in the dialog area. Let us see what stimulation this interaction yields. For today – Curtains in the Wind VIII

Curtains in the Wind VIII | Sramana Mitra, 2023 | Watercolor, Ink, Pastel | 12  x 18, On Paper

Featured Videos

February 19 – 716th 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable for Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs are invited to the 716th FREE online 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable on Thursday, February 19, 2026, at 8 a.m. PST / 11 a.m. EST / 5 p.m. CET / 9:30 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.

715th 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable Recording

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

You can register for an upcoming roundtable here.

Video FAQs

Kentucky Startup Accelerator Landscape

Kentucky, traditionally recognized for its agricultural, manufacturing, and horse-racing industries, is emerging as a modest but noteworthy player in the US startup ecosystem. Anchored by hubs such as Louisville, Lexington, and Bowling Green, the state offers talented founders, university support, and niche industry expertise. However, limited venture capital and dispersed markets create the classic Accelerator Conundrum, where solo founders feel pressure to hyper-scale before achieving product-market fit. This makes Kentucky a prime example for 1Mby1M’s Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later methodology.

Alabama, a Growing Startup Accelerator Landscape

Alabama is an often-overlooked state in the US startup ecosystem, yet it presents significant opportunities for disciplined, capital-efficient entrepreneurship. Anchored by Birmingham, Huntsville, and Mobile, Alabama combines strong university programs, a growing tech presence, and niche industry clusters with the challenges of limited venture capital and regional isolation. These conditions make it an ideal environment for 1Mby1M’s Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later philosophy.

Top Non-Equity Accelerators in Chennai

Guest Authors Snigdha Rani Sahoo & Kaushank Nalin Khandwala

This article, part of the Pro-Founder Series, delves into the landscape of non-equity accelerators in Chennai, India. In a post-COVID world, where bootstrapping and sustainable growth are paramount, we examine programs that prioritize founder-first principles, aligning with the ethos of 1Mby1M and the insights from “The Accelerator Conundrum” by Sramana Mitra. This research-driven analysis aims to provide founders with a clear understanding of the available options, focusing on value, continuity, and mentorship, rather than fleeting demo day hype.

Top Accelerators for Solo Entrepreneurs in Chennai

Guest Authors Snigdha Rani Sahoo & Kaushank Nalin Khandwala

This article addresses the growing trend of solo entrepreneurship in Chennai, particularly in the post-COVID era, marked by increased layoffs and the rise of independent and first-generation founders. It aims to provide clarity and guidance to solo founders seeking mentorship and validation, rather than just funding or PR, by evaluating the accelerator landscape in Chennai through a lens that prioritizes value, continuity, and sustainable support, aligning with remote-first, equity-free, and lifelong support principles.

Cloud Stocks: Alphabet Acquires Intersect to Build AI Capacity

Last week, Alphabet (Nasdaq: GOOG) announced its fourth quarter results that soared past market expectations. The company is looking to fund the AI initiatives by raising money through bonds.