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.

Handling Logistics for E-Commerce Vendors: Maria Haggerty, COO, and Bill Follett, CEO – Dotcom Logistics (Part 1)

Maria Haggerty and Bill Follett are the founders of Dotcom Logistics, the premier distribution partner for dot-com businesses. The company was founded in 1999 when online distribution was a significant challenge. Maria is a graduate of the University of Houston and spent five years at Arthur Andersen prior to founding Dotcom Logistics. Bill is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business and worked at GoodTime Home Video prior to founding Dotcom Logistics.

Sramana: Let’s start with a bit of your personal backgrounds. Where are you from, and what was your career journey like before Dotcom Logistics?

Bill Follet: I was born in Rye, New York. I have not gotten very far in life because I still live here. I left for 20 years and then returned. I graduated from the Wharton School [at the University of Pennsylvania] and have spent most of my business career in New York. I have been deeply involved in video distribution and I have been fortunate enough to learn about distribution and fulfillment in the video industry. >>>

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Transitioning from a Developer to a Distributor of Mobile Games: Lon Otremba, CEO of Tylted (Part 1)

Sramana: Lon, let’s start with the background that leads up to the Tylted story. Where are you from?

Lon Otremba: I grew up in Michigan. I am an identical twin and I was part of a family that was involved in the automotive industry. My father spent 38 years with the same company. My uncles and other relatives worked for the big auto makers. I spent a lot of my summers during college working in the plants. I saw firsthand what it means to be part of manufacturing and a part of that industry. >>>

Bootstrapping a $10M Creative Marketplace: Envato Founder Couple Collis and Cyan Ta’eed (Part 1)

Collis and Cyan Ta’eed are the founders of Envato, an online creative marketplace. They founded Envato together after having ran a freelance design agency together out of Australia. Collis studied math and science while Cyan earned her degree in design.

Sramana: Let’s start at the beginning of your personal stories. What leads up to Envato?

Collis Ta’eed: I am half Iranian and half English. My father is from Iran and my mother is from Yorkshire. I grew up in Papua New Guinea, which was one of the last places to be reached by the outside world. >>>

Funding Working Capital for Small Businesses: Kabbage CEO Marc Gorlin (Part 1)

Marc Gorlin is the co-founder of Kabbage and a serial entrepreneur. In 1996 he was a co-founder of Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) and oversaw the financing and eventual sell of PGP to Network Associates in 1997. After PGP Marc co-founded VerticalOne, a content personalization service that was sold to S1 Corporation. Marc is also a co-founded of Lanta Technology Group, an Atlanta-based company that specialized in executive staffing. He graduated magna cum laude from the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.

Sramana: Marc, let’s start with some of your personal background. What is the story of your entrepreneurial journey?

Marc Gorlin: I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. I grew up in an entrepreneurial family. My father started biotech companies. Growing up, he always told me that I did not need to find a job, I needed to find a deal. That is the path I took in starting a number of companies. >>>

From Australia to Silicon Valley: Leigh Jasper’s Amazing Journey with Aconex (Part 1)

Leigh Jasper is the co-founder and CEO of Aconex, on online collaboration platform for construction, infrastructure, energy and resources projects. He has led the company through a decade of rapid growth, during which it became the world’s largest provider of project collaboration solutions for the construction, energy and resources sectors. Prior to founding Aconex, he worked for McKinsey & Company as an advisor to clients in the media, financial services, and building materials industries on strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and business growth issues.

Sramana: Leigh, let’s start with your personal background. Where are you from, and how does your personal story lead up to Aconex?

Leigh Jasper: I am from Australia, where I grew up in the country about three hours northeast of Melbourne. My family ran a small business. >>>

Building a Fast-Growth Local Advertising Business: Yodle Co-founders Ben Rubenstein and John Berkowitz (Part 1)

Ben Rubenstein is a co-founder of Yodle and the company’s regional vice president of sales. He has been with Yodle for the last seven years. Prior to Yodle, Ben graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied history and Latin American Studies.

John Berkowitz is a co-founder of Yodle and the VP of national accounts. Prior to Yodle, John attended The George Washington University School of Business, where he graduated with his BA in international business.

Sramana: Let’s start with the beginning of your personal stories. Where are you both from, and how do your personal stories lead up to Yodle?

Ben Rubenstein: John and I are both from New Haven, Connecticut. We grew up about a mile from each other and have known each other for a very long time. We did not go to school together, but we knew each other from the neighborhood. Another friend of ours, Nathaniel Stevens, is from the town next door. He is also a co-founder. >>>

Bootstrapping a $40M Niche E-Commerce Business: Stroll CEO Dan Roitman (Part 1)

Dan Roitman is the founder and chief executive officer of Stroll, an Internet retailer of lifestyle information products. He founded Stroll in 2000 while a senior in college and has led the firm from startup to present. He is an active member of the Smart100, a local network of chief executive officers. Roitman holds a BS in international business and a BA in German from the University of Maryland at College Park.

Sramana: Dan, let’s start by reviewing the roots of your entrepreneurial journey. Where did you grow up?

Dan Roitman: I was born in Germany and I lived there for nine years before moving to the U.S. My parents are divorced, and both of my parents got remarried. I went from being a single child to having two stepbrothers and two stepsisters at the age of 12. >>>

Parallel Entrepreneurship: Serguei Beloussov, Founder of Parallels (Part 1)

Serguei is a founder Parallels, where he serves as the chief architect and the executive chairman of the board. Prior to his current positions he also served as the CEO of Parallels. Under Beloussov’s leadership, Parallels grew to profitability and became a market leader in desktop virtualization, OS containers, and control panel offerings. Beloussov holds a B.S. in physics, an M.S. in physics and electrical engineering with high honors, and a Ph.D. in computer science from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.

Sramana: Serguei, let’s start at the beginning of your story. Where do you come from? What are the beginnings of your entrepreneurial journey?

Serguei Beloussov: I was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. At the time it was still the Soviet Union. I attended specialized schools for physics and mathematics in St. Petersburg, which is the second largest city in the country. I participated in a variety of competitions for physics and mathematics for the Soviet Union. >>>

Building a $50M Profitable Social Network Focused on Discovery: Greg Tseng, CEO of Tagged (Part 1)

Greg Tseng is the founder and CEO of Tagged, a social network site focused on helping people meet other people. Prior he co-founded Avivon Inc., which introduced the textbook comparison-shopping agent flyingchickens.com to the Harvard campus during the fall semester of 1999, and he served as COO of Limespot.com LLC. Greg holds an A.B. in chemistry, physics and mathematics from Harvard University. Greg is presently on leave from Stanford University, where he is pursuing a Ph.D. in physics on a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship.

Sramana: Greg, let’s get started by reviewing your background. Where are you from? What are the roots of your entrepreneurial journey?

Greg Tseng: I was born in Taiwan, but my parents immigrated to the U.S. when I was two and a half years old. I grew up in northern Virginia in a suburb of Washington, D.C. I grew up in an Asian household, so my parents really emphasized academics, especially math and science. Throughout high school I was in all the math and science clubs and contests. >>>

Bootstrapping to $7M with DIY Business Apps: Andrew Gazdecki, CEO of Bizness Apps (Part 1)

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

Andrew Gazdecki is the founder and CEO of Bizness Apps, a do-it-yourself iPhone app platform that allows small businesses to easily create, edit, and manage an iPhone app online without any programming knowledge needed. He founded Bizness Apps while attending CSU Chico full time. He is a graduated of CSU with a degree in business marketing.

Sramana: Andrew, let’s start at the beginning of your story. Where are you from and where did you grow up?

Andrew Gazdecki: I am originally from Orange County, California. I grew up in a beautiful beach town. I have two entrepreneurial parents. From the time I was in high school, I have always thought of businesses. I have always had some type of venture going from the time I was a teenager. After I graduated from high school, I went to CSU Chico and had a fantastic time there. While I was in school, I had a goal to start a company every summer. >>>