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.

Can You Do It All? Amy Pressman, President of Medallia (Part 1)

Amy Pressman is the president and co-founder of Medallia, a company she envisioned while she worked as a consultant for the Boston Consulting Group. She has also worked as an independent consultant for technology-based companies in Silicon Valley, an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, and a legislative aide on Capitol Hill. She has an MBA from Stanford University and an AB from Harvard College.

Sramana: Amy, tell me about the journey that led to your business career. Where are you from? What kind of childhood did you have?

Amy Pressman: I am from Boston, Massachusetts. I grew up in a family that did not do much in the way of business, so I sort of fell into all of this. I decided I wanted become a businessperson when I was a Peace Corps volunteer. I was stationed in a town on the north coast of Honduras. >>>

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Bootstrapping From Arizona To 36 Million Dollar Series A Valuation And Silicon Valley Venture Capital: Infusionsoft CEO Clate Mask (Part 1)

Clate Mask, who has a JD and an MBA from Brigham Young University, is the co-founder and CEO of the fast-growth software company Infusionsoft. He is also the co-author of the New York Times bestseller “Conquer the Chaos: How to Grow a Successful Small Business without Going Crazy.” Mask raised nearly $17 million in venture capital funding from Silicon Valley–based Mohr Davidow Ventures and vSpring Capital after bootstrapping Infusionsoft from 2001 to 2007. More than 20,000 small business subscribers use Infusionsoft’s SaaS marketing automation solution, which combines CRM, e-mail marketing, lead nurturing, e-commerce, and automation.

Sramana: Let’s begin by tracing your entrepreneurship roots. Where do you come from?

Clate Mask: I have always been into little ventures from the time I was a kid. I loved the challenge of selling things. In the early days, I sold NFL pencils on the playground. >>>

40 Million Dollar Company, Paying Dividends, Growing Steadily: 3CInteractive CEO John Duffy (Part 1)

John Duffy is a serial entrepreneur with extensive experience in communications and payment processing. At 3Cinteractive, John is responsible for setting corporate strategy, driving revenue, and helping to maintain the company’s key relationships with customers and vendors. Prior to co-founding 3Ci, John built several successful companies in various industries. John lives in Delray Beach, Florida, with his wife and two daughters.

Sramana: John, tell us about your background. Where are you from? What path did you take to become an entrepreneur?

John Duffy: I was born in Hammond, Indiana. My father was an FBI agent. We moved approximately every two years, so I have lived in several locations throughout the Midwest and the Northeast. I went to school at Ohio University and graduated around the time that my father was retiring from the FBI. >>>

Zero To 17 Million Using SEO And PPC, No External Financing: E-Commerce Entrepreneur Mercia Tapping, CEO Of Boston Green Goods (Part 1)

Mercia Tapping is the CEO of Boston Green Goods, a multi-channel e-commerce business. Her business was named to the Internet Retailer 2007 Top 500 list, and she received the 2004 Stevie Award for Woman Entrepreneurs. Prior to founding Boston Green Goods, she worked as an independent consultant and co-founded an energy consulting business. She is a graduate of Cornell University.

Sramana: Mercia, let’s start by reviewing your background. What path did you take to get where you are today?

Mercia Tapping: I am an American citizen, but I was born in England. I have been in the United States since 1973. My former husband was an entrepreneur. When I went out on my own in later years, it was thoroughly in my genes to be an entrepreneur. >>>

100 Percent Bootstrapped 10 Million Dollar E-Commerce Company: WaterFilters.Net CEO Jamin Arvig (Part 1)

Jamin Arvig is a serial entrepreneur who is a founder of WaterFilters.Net. He has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering as well as a law degree. After practicing patent law for a period, he decided to maintain a focus on business which led to increased effort being place on WaterFilters.Net, a business he started in 2002 while still in school.

Sramana: Jamin, let’s go back to the beginning of your story. Where did you grow up?

Jamin Arvig: I grew up in Plymouth, Minnesota, which is just west of the Twin Cities. I went to the University of Minnesota for an electrical engineering degree, and then I went to William Mitchell for my law degree. >>>

Building A 10 Million Dollar Search Engine Marketing Business: WPromote CEO Mike Mothner (Part 1)

Michael Mothner is the founder and CEO of search engine marketing firm Wpromote. The company has maintained over 2,700% growth from 2003 through 2007. Michael has a degree in economics and computer science from Dartmouth College.

Sramana: Mike, what is your story leading up to Wpromote? Where are you from?

Mike Mothner: I am 29 now. I was born in Manhattan Beach, California. My parents were both teachers. I got into computers and the Internet when I was pretty young. >>>

From 0 To 31 Million Dollars With Search Engine Marketing & Inventory Financing: Kim Pedersen, CEO of 1000 Bulbs (Part 1)

Kim Pederson is the CEO and founder of 1000 Bulbs, an award-winning business of more than 100 employees which offers everything from simple household light bulbs to cutting-edge specialty lighting systems. He launched 1000Bulbs.com in 1996 after working as regional and national recruiter for two national lighting distributors. Today, 1000Bulbs.com enjoys double-digit sales growth, and Kim was recognized in June 2010 as Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young in the Dallas–Ft. Worth region.

Sramana: Kim, let’s start by talking some about your background. Where did you grow up, and what were the circumstances that laid the foundation for your entrepreneurial endeavors?

Kim Pedersen: I was born in Iowa in 1954 as one of five children. My parents moved to Omaha, Nebraska, when I was four. >>>

Scrappy Entrepreneurship At Its Best: Fresh Diet CEO Zalmi Duchman (Part 1)

Sramana: Zalmi, let’s start with your personal story. Where are you from?

Zalmi Duchman: I was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1980. My parents moved to Miami Beach before I turned a year old, so I pretty much grew up there. I went to an Orthodox Jewish high school in L.A. at 14. I was in a dorm from ninth grade on and my roommate there, Yosef Schwartz, is actually my business partner and the executive chef of Fresh Diet. >>>

Building The Largest Online Bus Ticketing Company in India: redBus.in Co-founder and CEO Phanindra Sama (Part 1)

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

Phanindra Sama, otherwise known as Phani, is the co-founder and CEO of redBus. redBus is India’s largest bus ticketing company and a Forbes Top 5 Startup in 2010. Phani has a BE in electrical engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science. Prior to founding redBus, he worked as a design engineer at ST Microelectronics and as a senior design engineer at Texas Instruments in Bangalore.

Sramana: Phani, let’s start with your personal story.

Phanindra Sama: I was always good with technical studies and was especially good mechanically. I got into BITS Pilani (Birla Institute of Technology and Science), and I studied electronics because I always wanted to be an electronics engineer. I was always fascinated with electrons flowing through a wire and making a light glow or a fan turn. It was fascinating to me. I used to have a tool kit and repair small electronics. >>>

Building A Niche E-Commerce Powerhouse: Coastal Contacts CEO Roger Hardy (Part 1)

Roger Hardy is the founder and CEO of Coastal Contacts Inc, the world’s largest online retailer of contact lenses and eyeglasses. While working for a contact lens manufacturer, he became aware of the optical store mark-ups on contact lenses and eyeglasses and recognized an opportunity to serve customers better. As a result he founded Coastal Contacts Inc. in 2000. Roger has been honored with many awards over his years as Coastal Contacts’ leader, including Business in Vancouver’s Top Forty Under Forty in 2002, and The Pacific Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award (Business-to-Consumer) in 2006.

Sramana: Roger, let’s go back to the beginning of your story. Where are you from?

Roger Hardy I grew up in a small town outside of Ottawa, Canada. It was a small commuting community. I was fortunate to have been exposed to Terry Matthews, a great entrepreneur, at a very young age. >>>