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.

Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later from Houston: Onit CEO Eric Elfman (Part 1)

Eric has built two sizable companies in legal tech from Houston. Great 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?

Featured Videos

Bootstrapping with Services: Codesigned CEO Jake Weaver (Part 1)

We continue our coverage of bootstrapping using services.

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 from Canada: Fusebill CEO Tyler Eyamie (Part 1)

Wonderful story of a SaaS company that has invested $10M to get to $10M ARR over 9 years. Lots of options ahead to exit profitably or to keep going.

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

Bootstrapping to $8 Million in 3 Months During the Covid Crisis: Cuver CEO Ammar Amdani (Part 1)

This is a superb story of COVID-era entrepreneurship. Uplifting and thrilling!

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?

Hit by Covid in New York: Pulsd CEO Mareza Larizadeh (Part 1)

Covid has come as a nightmare for many entrepreneurs. Here’s a story of one in New York, coping with the perfect storm of being in the epicenter of the pandemic and in the hospitality business, the worst hit sector of the economy.

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

A Serial Entrepreneur’s Journey in Real Estate Tech: Cloud CMA CEO Greg Robertson (Part 1)

Greg has done multiple ventures in Real Estate Technology and discusses his long career as an entrepreneur in the field.

Serial Entrepreneurship in CAD: SolidWorks and Onshape Founder Jon Hirschtick (Part 1)

Jon has founded two important CAD companies and sold both for significant exit prices. Read on for his awesome entrepreneurial 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?

Buying Back a Business: ShareBuilder 401k CEO Stuart Robertson (Part 1)

Stuart built Sharebuilder 401k. The company got acquired. Recently, he has bought the business back.

Read on to understand the nuances.

Building a High Impact Social Enterprise over 20+ Years: Roberto Milk, CEO of NOVICA (Part 1)

Not all high impact businesses need to go from 0 to $100 million in 5 to 7 years. 

NOVICA has built a tremendously important, high impact social enterprise that did $30 million in 20 years. It’s a fantastic achievement.

From eBay Seller to Software Entrepreneur: Seller Labs CEO Paul Johnson (Part 1)

Paul started as an eBay seller and then developed software to help other sellers sell online. 

A classic case study of an entrepreneur solving problems he faced himself and building a business based on deep domain knowledge.