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.

Building a Unicorn and Establishing the Customer Success Category: Nick Mehta, CEO of Gainsight (Part 1)

I spoke with Nick back when Gainsight was very young. Much has happened since. This conversation catches us up on the interim years since 2013.

Gainsight recently raised money from Vista Equity at a $1.1 billion valuation.

Featured Videos

Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later: Ben Hodson, CEO of JobNimbus (Part 1)

Ben is a serial entrepreneur with a long experience in bootstrapping and fundraising. Read on to see how he has navigated his journey.

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

Navigating Multiple Product Pivots: Jebbit CEO Tom Coburn (Part 1)

Tom discusses a very important aspect of building a product company: pivots.

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?

Tom Coburn: I was born in a suburb outside of Boston, Massachusetts. It’s where the Boston Marathon starts. I grew up there and lived there all my life. I went to high school there at a local public high school. I ended up going to Boston College. I went there to study Biology and become a doctor. I ended up dropping out. I’d also picked up Theology as a double major. I was studying science and religion and ended up doing a marketing technology and data company instead.

Building HubSpot to a Unicorn: Dharmesh Shah’s Amazing Entrepreneurial Journey (Part 1)

Dharmesh discussed his entrepreneurial journey with candor, humility, and generosity. Wonderful conversation.

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

Sramana Mitra: We will start at the very beginning of your journey. Where did you grow up? What kind of upbringing and what kind of circumstances were you raised in? I know you come from a part of India that is particularly entrepreneurial.

Bootstrapping for 30 Years: Dean Guida, CEO of Infragistics (Part 1)

Dean has a real passion for the elegance, simplicity, and beauty of software development. He has built a company celebrating these values.

Sramana Mitra: We will start at the beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born and raised?

Dean Guida: When I was six years old, my mom and dad got divorced. I moved to Miami, Florida. I saw how much my mom struggled to make money for us, When I was eight years old, I just wanted to work. I convinced the maintenance man in the apartment that I was living in to let me do his work. He would pay me off the books.

How to Create a Monopoly in an Esoteric Niche: SteelCloud CEO Brian Hajost (Part 1)

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

Everyone talks about BIG markets. Learn how to build a monopoly in a small market and, as a consequence, a strong defensible business.

Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the beginning of your journey. Where were you born and raised? What kind of background did you have?

Surviving Covid with a Bootstrapped Venture: Kristi Herold, CEO of JAM (Part 1)

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

Kristi built a thriving bootstrapped business over twenty years until Covid hit. Read how she is surviving Covid.

Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born and raised? What kind of background did you have?

From Solo Entrepreneur to Serial Exits: Shane Neman, CEO of EZ Texting (Part 1)

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

Shane started as a solo entrepreneur and built two companies, bootstrapped both, and found successful exits for each.

Read on for more on his journey.

Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born and raised? What kind of background did you have?

Bootstrapping Using Services from Atlanta: Avelead CEO Jawad Shaikh (Part 1)

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

As usual, we love Bootstrapping Using Services case studies.

Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born and raised? What kind of background did you have?

Best of Bootstrapping: Duda Co-founders Bootstrap with Paychecks

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

Itai Sadan is the Co-founder and CEO of Duda, a company that turns desktop websites into mobile sites. When we spoke in 2013, Itai had over 10 years of experience in business development, partner management, program management, and development. Prior to founding Duda (formerly DudaMobile), Itai was a director at SAP, where he managed the SAP Discovery System program and was in charge of relationships with IBM, HP, and Fujitsu.

Sramana: Itai, let’s start with the beginning of your personal journey. What is the story that paved the way for your entrepreneurial journey?

Itai Sadan: I was born and raised in Tel Aviv, Israel. I did have a six-year stint in South Africa, where our family lived for a while. I went to high school in Tel Aviv and met the person who is the co-founder and CTO of DudaMobile during my high school years. After high school I went to the army and served in the anti-terrorist school. After I completed my three-year army service, I traveled the world a little bit.

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