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.

The Conundrum in North Dakota Startup Accelerator Ecosystem

North Dakota, with its wide-open plains, energy-driven economy, and small population, represents a quiet but promising environment for disciplined entrepreneurship. Unlike coastal tech hubs, North Dakota’s startup ecosystem is sparse, localized, and capital-efficient, making it an ideal setting for the 1Mby1M Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later philosophy. Here, solo founders must focus on customer revenue, product-market fit, and sustainable growth, rather than chasing hype or premature fundraising.

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The Conundrum in Nebraska Startup Accelerator Ecosystem

Nebraska, long known for its agricultural strength, manufacturing, and midwestern sensibility, is quietly developing a pragmatic and capital-efficient startup ecosystem. While it lacks the density of coastal hubs, Nebraska’s entrepreneurial culture favors resilience, self-reliance, and revenue-first thinking — a natural fit for the 1Mby1M Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later philosophy. For IT and IT-enabled services founders, this environment encourages building sustainable, profitable businesses without excessive dependence on venture capital.

The Conundrum in Missouri Startup Accelerator Ecosystem

Missouri, with its blend of metropolitan hubs, midwestern pragmatism, and industrial heritage, presents a dynamic yet capital-conscious startup ecosystem. The state offers fertile ground for IT and IT-enabled services ventures that prioritize revenue-first growth, sustainable operations, and disciplined scaling — all principles central to the 1Mby1M Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later philosophy.

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The Conundrum in Minnesota Accelerator Startup Ecosystem

Minnesota has quietly built one of the most disciplined, pragmatic startup ecosystems in the American Midwest. Anchored by Minneapolis–St. Paul, the state balances a strong corporate base — from healthcare giants to financial institutions and retail conglomerates — with a growing community of solo founders in software, data, and IT-enabled services.

The Conundrum in Kansas Startup Accelerator Ecosystem

Kansas, often associated with agriculture, aviation, and manufacturing, is quietly cultivating a capital-efficient startup ecosystem. While it lacks the density of coastal tech hubs, Kansas offers pragmatic, revenue-focused opportunities for IT and IT-enabled services founders. The state’s entrepreneurial culture aligns naturally with the 1Mby1M Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later philosophy, emphasizing sustainable growth, profitability, and disciplined scaling.

The Conundrum in Iowa Startup Accelerator Ecosystem

Iowa, often associated with agriculture and manufacturing, has quietly built a resilient and maturing startup ecosystem over the past decade. While it lacks the density of capital and media visibility that coastal hubs enjoy, its strength lies in pragmatism, capital efficiency, and steady growth — values that align seamlessly with the 1Mby1M philosophy and the Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later methodology.

The Conundrum in Indiana Startup Accelerator Landscape

Indiana is a state that sits at the crossroads — geographically, culturally, and economically. Known for its strong manufacturing base and deep Midwestern values, it’s now emerging as a serious contender in the entrepreneurial and innovation economy. Yet, as with many secondary startup ecosystems in the United States, Indiana faces a paradox: accelerator abundance but mentorship scarcity.

The Conundrum in Illinois Startup Accelerator Ecosystem

Illinois, anchored by Chicago, is one of the Midwest’s most sophisticated and mature startup ecosystems. The city boasts a strong base of Fortune 500 companies, major universities, and a vibrant entrepreneurial culture that has steadily evolved over the past two decades. Yet, beneath this progress lies the same paradox I have explored throughout The Accelerator Conundrum series: an ecosystem rich in accelerators, capital, and energy — but one that often pushes solo founders toward premature scaling and unsustainable funding paths.