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 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.

Featured Videos

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.

The Conundrum in West Virginia Startup Accelerator Ecosystem

West Virginia, historically known for its energy, mining, and manufacturing sectors, is quietly nurturing a capital-efficient entrepreneurial ecosystem. For IT and IT-enabled services ventures, the state presents opportunities to build profitable, sustainable businesses in alignment with the 1Mby1M Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later philosophy. While West Virginia lacks the density of coastal tech hubs, it offers solo founders a low-cost, resourceful environment where disciplined entrepreneurship can thrive.

Video FAQs

The Conundrum in Virginia Startup Accelerator Ecosystem

Virginia, with its combination of federal agencies, defense contractors, and a growing technology sector, presents a distinctive environment for IT and IT-enabled services entrepreneurship. The state’s ecosystem is diverse, spanning Northern Virginia’s tech corridors, Richmond’s innovation initiatives, and emerging hubs across the state. Virginia is uniquely positioned to support solo founders who adopt the 1Mby1M Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later philosophy, emphasizing revenue, profitability, and disciplined growth over premature fundraising.

South Carolina Startup Accelerator Landscape and the Case for 1Mby1M

South Carolina’s entrepreneurial landscape is evolving, but it’s doing so unevenly. Pockets of innovation in Charleston, Greenville, and Columbia are gaining traction, yet much of the state remains underserved by capital, mentorship, and scaling infrastructure. Unlike North Carolina, which has a mature research and venture ecosystem, South Carolina startup accelerator ecosystem is still forming — defined by local accelerator initiatives, university-backed programs, and a growing but fragile startup culture.

North Carolina Startup Accelerator Landscape: Asheville and the Case for 1Mby1M

While Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, and Wilmington dominate North Carolina’s startup narrative, the state’s entrepreneurial heartbeat extends well beyond these metros. In fact, the smaller cities — Asheville, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and the broader Piedmont region — reveal both the promise and pitfalls of the state’s current accelerator ecosystem.

North Carolina Startup Accelerator Ecosystem: Charlotte where Fintech Ambition Meets Bootstrapped Pragmatism

Charlotte is one of America’s great financial centers—home to Bank of America, Truist, and a cluster of financial institutions that anchor a powerful fintech ecosystem. The city has long been a magnet for finance and insurance professionals. Today, it’s also cultivating a new generation of tech entrepreneurs who are applying digital innovation to one of the oldest industries in the world.

North Carolina Startup Accelerator Ecosystem: The Research Triangle Innovation Engine

The Research Triangle—anchored by Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill—is the beating heart of North Carolina’s innovation economy. With three world-class universities, a deep technical talent pool, and an increasingly sophisticated support ecosystem, it’s no surprise that the region has become a magnet for startups.