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.

May 14 – 726th 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable for Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs are invited to the 726th FREE online 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable on Thursday, May 14, 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.

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Featured Videos

725th 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable Recording

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

Roundtable Recap: May 7 – Startup Accelerators Should Be Equity-Free

During this week’s roundtable, we kicked off the session with a discussion of research we’re publishing based on Carta data that has been published this year. Our key conclusion is that Startup Accelerators Should Be Equity-Free. By charging 7-15% equity for small capital injection, accelerators are setting entrepreneurs up for failure.

Please read these two important research papers:

• The 2026 Founder’s Consensus: Capital Efficiency and the Logic of Equity-Free Scaling
• Indian Equity-Charging Accelerators are Manufacturing Zombies En Masse

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Video FAQs

Amazon’s Layoffs Helping Fund Growth

Last week, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) announced its quarterly results that continued to outpace market expectations. The company is investing significantly in future offerings and recently announced the acquisition of Globalstar, the biggest acquisition it has ever made. Earlier this week, it also announced plans to launch its logistics network to all businesses.

Meta’s AI Push is Driving Layoffs

Earlier this week Meta (Nasdaq: META) announced its first quarter results that outpaced the market. But disappointing usage metrics sent the stock down 7% in the after-hours trading session.

Top Non-Equity Accelerators in Trichy

This article summarizes the top non-equity accelerators in Trichy (Tiruchirappalli) for bootstrapped and solo founders, comparing them to 1Mby1M across key dimensions like equity, delivery model, stage, and focus area.

Guest Author Kaushank Nalin Khandwala | Reviewed by Sramana Mitra

In The Accelerator Conundrum series, Sramana Mitra has repeatedly made a distinction that matters deeply for early-stage founders: not every accelerator is designed to optimize founder outcomes, and equity exchanged too early can carry long-term consequences. That insight is especially relevant in emerging ecosystems such as Tiruchirappalli, where many entrepreneurs are still experimenting, validating, and often bootstrapping.

Top Virtual Accelerators in Trichy

This article summarizes the top virtual accelerators in Trichy (Tiruchirappalli) for bootstrapped and solo founders, comparing them to 1Mby1M across key dimensions like equity, delivery model, stage, and focus area.

Guest Author Kaushank Nalin Khandwala | Reviewed by Sramana Mitra

In her long-running The Accelerator Conundrum series, Sramana Mitra has consistently argued that entrepreneurs need to evaluate accelerators not by prestige signaling, but by fit: fit with stage, business model, funding philosophy, and founder readiness. That lens matters even more in emerging startup cities like Tiruchirappalli, commonly known as Trichy, where founders often navigate fragmented support systems.

Top Accelerators Focused on Bootstrapping Before Blitzscaling in Madurai

This article summarizes the top accelerators focused on bootstrapping before blitzscaling in Madurai, comparing them to 1Mby1M across key dimensions like growth orientation and equity.

Guest Author Kaushank Nalin Khandwala | Reviewed by Sramana Mitra

In The Accelerator Conundrum series, Sramana Mitra highlights a recurring imbalance in the startup ecosystem: accelerators often push founders toward rapid scaling and fundraising, while underinvesting in the foundational phase of bootstrapping—where validation, customer acquisition, and early revenue are built.