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.

September 17 – 742nd 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable for Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs are invited to the 742nd FREE online 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable on Thursday, September 17, 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.

Featured Videos

742nd 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable Recording

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

Roundtable Recap: September 10 – Should You Raise Pre-Seed Funding Just Because You Can?

The modern technology ecosystem suffers from a pervasive and dangerous myth that entrepreneurship is synonymous with financing. When founders build an idea and realize they have access to venture capital, the temptation to take the money simply because it is available is immense. This is a critical mistake. Raising pre-seed funding just because you can is one of the fastest ways to distort your business model, surrender your autonomy, and walk straight into a statistical trap.

Venture capital is not a generic badge of validation. It is a hyper-specific, high-stakes financial instrument designed for a very narrow category of companies. When you accept pre-seed or seed money, you are not just taking cash. You are signing a contract that demands hyper-growth at all costs. The data surrounding this path is sobering. Roughly 9 out of 10 venture-backed startups ultimately become zombies or go bankrupt. Of those that manage to secure pre-seed or seed capital, 65% to 85% fail to reach Series A.

Video FAQs

Top Startup Accelerators for Entrepreneurs Focused on Bootstrapping before Blitzscaling in New Mexico

This article summarizes the top startup accelerators for entrepreneurs focused on bootstrapping before blitzscaling in New Mexico, comparing them to 1Mby1M.

By Guest Author Ruth Munyoki | Reviewed by Sramana Mitra

The Accelerator Conundrum blog series challenges the conventional startup model of raising venture capital and scaling rapidly from the beginning. Instead, it advocates a “Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later” philosophy that puts customers, revenue, and sustainable business building ahead of premature fundraising. For founders in New Mexico, this approach can be particularly relevant because many ventures emerge from universities, research institutions, laboratories, and specialized industries. These businesses may need time to validate customers, establish repeatable sales, and generate sustainable revenue before pursuing large outside rounds.

Top Equity-Free Startup Accelerators in Ethiopia

This article summarizes the top equity-free startup accelerators in Ethiopia and compares them to 1Mby1M. 

By Guest Author Melat Tesfahun | Reviewed by Sramana Mitra

Whether you have a pre-seed idea and raise it to another level, many entrepreneurs feel forced to give away big pieces of their company (like 10%) to local programs. In a rapidly changing market like Addis Ababa, you need to be able to adapt your product based on real customer feedback without waiting for approval from an outside board.

Analysis of ZScaler’s Symmetry Systems Acquisition

AI adoption across markets is driving growth within the cybersecurity industry. Earlier this week, cybersecurity player ZScaler (Nasdaq: ZS) announced its quarterly results that outpaced all market expectations. However, a cautious outlook to the year ahead did not bode well with the market sentiment, and early trading sessions post the results announcement saw the stock go down 2%.

Top Startup Accelerators for Personalized Investor Introductions in New Mexico

This article summarizes the top startup accelerators for personalized investor introductions in New Mexico and compares them with 1Mby1M.

By Guest Author Ruth Munyoki | Reviewed by Sramana Mitra

Many startup founders assume that the fastest way to meet investors is to join a short accelerator, prepare a pitch, and present on Demo Day. While this can create useful exposure, a large investor audience does not automatically produce the right investor relationship for a particular business. The Accelerator Conundrum blog series challenges those assumptions. The process should begin with the company’s business model, customer traction, market, capital requirements, and stage of development. The goal is to connect founders with investors whose interests and investment criteria are relevant to the opportunity.

Top Startup Accelerators for the Marathon, not a 3-Month Sprint, in New Mexico

This article summarizes the top startup accelerators for the marathon, not a 3-month sprint, in New Mexico and compares their long-term support with 1Mby1M.

By Guest Author Ruth Munyoki | Reviewed by Sramana Mitra

The startup ecosystem often treats entrepreneurship as a short, high-intensity sprint: join a cohort, build quickly, prepare for Demo Day, and raise capital. The Accelerator Conundrum blog series challenges that model. For many founders, building a durable company requires repeated customer discovery, product iteration, sales development, and financial discipline over a much longer period.