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. 

1Mby1M Udemy Courses with Sramana Mitra: Bootstrapping

Over the course of two years, we have released over 70 courses on Udemy with the aim to democratize entrepreneurship education at scale globally. This series of posts aims to help you find the one you need easily and provide you with discount coupons.

Bridging Complex Technology To Market: Lior Gal, CEO of Excelero (Part 1)

This is a textbook case study of how to bring complex technology to market.

Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the very beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born, raised, and in what kind of background?

Lior Gal: I’m an Israeli out of Tel Aviv and soon to be 47 years old. I grew up in Israel. I did army service for five years and then left the army to study computer science and math in university. I ended up working in the space.

Featured Videos

Building Two Capital-Efficient AI Companies: Arijit Sengupta, Founder and CEO of Aible and BeyondCore (Part 1)

If you haven’t already, please study our Bootstrapping Course and Investor Introductions page. 

As AI companies start to find adoption, we are now starting to see real successes emerge. Arijit Sengupta has built one company and sold it to Salesforce.com. He is doing a second one that is also moving right along. Many insights to draw from this conversation!

Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the very beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born, raised, and in what kind of background?

Meaningfully Impacting the Economy in The Philippines: John Jonas, CEO of OnlineJobs.ph (Part 1)

If you haven’t already, please study our Bootstrapping Course and Investor Introductions page. 

John has built an online job portal specifically focused on the Philippines. Very interesting story of how one entrepreneur has held steady his priorities and built a terrific lifestyle business! Kudos!

Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the very beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born, raised, and in what kind of background?

Capital Efficient Entrepreneurship: Glamping Hub CEO Ruben Martinez (Part 1)

If you haven’t already, please study our Bootstrapping Course and Investor Introductions page. 

Travel has been a popular category for entrepreneurs to build capital-efficient businesses in. Read the story of Glamping Hub.

Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the very beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born, raised, and in what kind of background?

Ruben Martinez: I was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I went out to University of New Mexico for a year before I transferred to a university here in Denver, Colorado.

Bootstrapping First from Colorado, Then Scaling with VC Funds: Faction CEO Luke Norris (Part 1)

If you haven’t already, please study our Bootstrapping Course and Investor Introductions page. 

Luke has executed a tremendously effective Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later strategy with Faction.

Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the very beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born, raised, and in what kind of background?

Luke Norris: I was born in Nevada. 

Capital Efficient Entrepreneurship: Jeff Wilkins, CEO of Motili (Part 1)

If you haven’t already, please study our Bootstrapping Course and Investor Introductions page. 

Jeff has turned $1M of personal investment (with his Co-Founder) to $80 million in revenue. Pretty capital-efficient, this entrepreneur’s journey!

Sramana Mitra: Let’s start with where your story begins. Where are you from? Where were you born, raised, and in what kind of background?

Jeff Wilkins: I grew on the East Coast. I was born in Bethesda, Maryland, outside of Washington DC and moved around a lot as a kid. I spend time in Maryland, North Carolina, Texas, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania.

Candid Discussion of a Bootstrapper’s Journey through Failures to Success: Robly CEO Adam Robinson (Part 1)

Entrepreneurs love to discuss success. Few are willing to discuss what they tried and failed at. Adam does a terrific job of sharing his journey through various failed experiments to a model that is now gaining traction.

Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the very beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born, raised, and in what kind of background?

Best of Bootstrapping: BioConnect CEO Bootstraps with Sophisticated Strategic Maneuvering

BioConnect CEO Rob Douglas has built a thriving founder-financed business from Toronto using very sophisticated strategic maneuvering. I just loved discussing the strategic nuances of this business. You’ll learn a LOT from reading this story.

Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the very beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born, raised, and in what kind of background?

Rob Douglas: I’m a Canadian. I was born just outside of Toronto. I have grown up in and around the city of Toronto. I’m married. I have two kids. Both of them are in their 20’s. I have spent most of my entrepreneurial life primarily focused on markets outside of Canada. US and EMEA have been primary markets over my career.

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Building Two Open-Source Startups in a Row: Sysdig CEO Loris Degioanni (Part 1)

If you haven’t already, please study our Bootstrapping Course and Investor Introductions page. 

Loris has specialized expertise in building Open Source companies. Read how he has done it twice.

Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the very beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born, raised, and in what kind of background?

Loris Degioanni: As you can tell from my accent, I wasn’t born in the United States. I was born in Italy. I was born in a unique part of Italy. I was raised in a little town called Menaggio in one of the mountain valleys connecting Northern Italy and Southern France.

Building Businesses in Aftermarket Designer Merchandise: ShopWorn CEO Richard Birnbaum (Part 1)

If you haven’t already, please study our Bootstrapping Course and Investor Introductions page. 

Richard has built several business in the “shopworn” designer merchandise segment. Learn more about the business through his journey.

Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the very beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born, raised, and in what kind of background?

Richard Birnbaum: I grew up in Brooklyn, New York. I was born into a family of merchants. My father taught me at a young age that everything is about value. Even when we’d go to a diner as a kid, he couldn’t go on raving enough about what a great deal it is they’re offering us. He’d say, “We get a salad. We got Jell-O for dessert.” He instilled in me, at an early age, that it’s all about value and giving the customer a great deal.