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.

Crowdsourcing Repetitive Tasks: CrowdFlower Founder Lukas Biewald (Part 1)

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

Lukas Biewald is the founder and executive chairman of CrowdFlower, the world’s largest enterprise crowdsourcing platform. Prior to co-founding CrowdFlower, Lukas was a senior scientist and manager within the ranking and management team at Powerset, Inc., a natural language search technology company later acquired by Microsoft. Lukas has also led the search relevance team for Yahoo Japan. He graduated from Stanford University with a BS in mathematics and an MS in computer science.

Sramana: Lukas, let’s start by talking about your roots. Where do you come from?

Lukas Biewald: I grew up in Boston, and I came out West to study at Stanford in 1999. It was an exciting time to be here. I did my degree in math, and I watched the bubble grow and burst. >>>

Featured Videos

How To Build A Strong IP Portfolio: rPost CEO Zafar Khan (Part 1)

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

Zafar Khan is the founder and chief executive officer of rPost, a company that provides registered email services. His previous experience includes has strategy consulting and finance jobs with Braxton Associates/Deloitte Consulting and Goldman Sachs. Khan has invented two U.S. patents, holds a bachelor of arts from Wesleyan University in Connecticut, an International Business Certificate from The Georgetown University School of Business, and a master of business administration from The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania.

Sramana: Zafar, let’s start by reviewing your background. Where are you from? What kind of childhood did you have that led you down the path you are on today?

Zafar Khan: I was born in Boston, Massachusetts. I grew up going to public schools in the Boston area. I did my undergraduate degree at Wesleyan University after which I worked for a number of years before going to the Wharton School for my MBA. >>>

Using Facebook For Lead Generation: Underground Elephant CEO Jason Kulpa (Part 1)

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

Jason Kulpa founded Underground Elephant in 2008. Underground Elephant is a leader in technology-based marketing, and is one of the fastest-growing advertising agencies in San Diego. Kulpa was recently recognized for his outstanding leadership, and awarded the “Most Admired CEO” award by the San Diego Business Journal in 2010. He is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization and has a bachelor of science in business and Communication from Arizona State University.

Sramana: Jason, would you give us some context to begin your story? Where did you grow up?

Jason Kulpa: I was born in Chicago and moved to Arizona when I was very young. I grew up in Yuma, which is a small town that borders Mexico. >>>

Trends And Opportunities In Cloud Computing: Jim Burleigh, CEO Of Cloud9 (Part 1)

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

Jim Burleigh is the CEO of Cloud9 and a veteran of SaaS businesses having served as a senior executive at Navis, and salesforce.com. In addition, he served as the CEO of SmartTurn, the leading SaaS warehouse and inventory management solution, immediately prior to joining Cloud9. His background includes sales, marketing, and technical expertise developed as the sixth employee at salesforce.com. He has a B.S. in engineering and applied science from the California Institute of Technology.

Sramana: Jim, where does your personal story begin?

Jim Burleigh: I am originally from San Diego. I grew up in a lower middle class family with a ranching background. My parents divorced early on, so I split my time growing up on a ranch outside of San Diego and the city itself. >>>

Enterprise 3.0 In The Supply Chain: GT Nexus Cofounder Greg Johnsen (Part 1)

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

Greg Johnsen is the executive vice president of marketing and co-founder of GT Nexus. GT Nexus is a great example of what I describe in my enterprise 3.0 definition (Enterprise 3.0 = (SaaS + EE) and Enterprise 3.0 = (SaaS + EE + SME+TWS). Mr. Johnsen has more than 20 years of sales, marketing, and product management experience with Silicon Valley technology companies. He has spent the past 10 years focused on supply chain and logistics, working with hundreds of leading companies to drive sustainable improvements in global sourcing, transportation management, and inventory control. Prior to GT Nexus he was with Scopus Technology, and he began his career at Ingres Corporation. Greg has a bachelor of arts in English from the University of California at Davis.

Sramana: Greg, where do you come from? What is your background?

Greg Johnsen: I grew up all over the world. My father was in health services and worked for the National Institutes of Health, the State Department and the Army for a while. >>>

Scaling With VARs And OEMs: Nexenta CEO Evan Powell (Part 1)

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

Evan Powell is the CEO of Nexenta and an entrepreneur with broad experience building software and service companies. Prior to Nexenta Evan was the founding CEO and then VP of marketing and business development at Clarus Systems. Prior to founding Clarus Systems, Evan was an early employee at ThinkLink, where he was director of business development. Prior to ThinkLink Evan helped build Working Assets one of the largest telecom service resellers in the United States. Evan attended the European business school, IESE, and Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

Sramana: Evan, tell me a little bit about where you come from and where you grew up. What is the beginning of your personal story?

Evan Powell: I grew up in a college town in Athens, Georgia. I had the distinction of being the first male in a few generations in my family to not have a PhD. >>>

Bootstrapping A 130 Million VAR In The Midwest: Ahead CEO Dan Adamany (Part 1)

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

Dan Adamany is the founder and CEO of Ahead, a leader in cloud computing. Prior to Ahead, Daniel played a pivotal role in EMC’s rise to prominence, winning several national awards for leadership and performance. Daniel is also involved in several entrepreneurial ventures within various industries, including real estate, hospitality, and entertainment. He has a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Sramana: Dan, let’s begin by tracing the steps of your journey. Where were you grow up?

Dan Adamany: I grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin. We were on the east side of Green Bay, so I had mid-sized schools to attend. My mother was a dietitian and my father owned a restaurant. >>>

Bootstrapping A Healthcare IT Startup To 50 Million: Eliza Corporation President Alexandra Drane (Part 1)

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

Alexandra Drane is a serial entrepreneur who has launched four successful healthcare ventures over the past 15 years. Alexandra is currently president and co-founder of Eliza Corporation, a leading provider of integrated healthcare communication strategies. She is also the co-founder of two nonprofits, Engage with Grace, aimed at helping people understand, communicate, and have end-of-life wishes honored; and SeduceHealth, which adds greater passion, joy, and inspiration to how the healthcare industry communicates. Alexandra sits on a number of executive boards, including Eliza, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Society for Women’s Health Research, Operations Committee of the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC) and Germaine Lawrence Board of Advocates. She also serves on the board of two technology startups and is a member of the Health Executive Leadership Network, Women Business Leaders of the U.S. Health Care Industry Foundation, and is a trustee of several charitable trusts.

Sramana: Alex, where are you from? What is your background?

Alexandra Drane: I am a product of the 128 Beltway. That is the best way to describe it. I was raised in Lexington, which is a suburb of Boston. I was raised by two entrepreneurs, but they were two very different types of entrepreneurs. >>>

Bootstrapping An Innovative Telecom Services Startup: Callture Co-founders Mamoon Rashid and Siva Sanmuga (Part 1)

Mamoon Rashid and Siva Sanmuga are serial entrepreneurs who co-founded Telcan in 1997 followed by Callture in 2004. Both graduated from the University of Waterloo, Ontario, after completing their engineering studies. Callture is a Canadian technology company based in Ontario and is a subsidiary of Telcan.

Sramana: Mamoon, can you give us some context to begin your story?

Mamoon Rashid: About 13 years ago, Siva Sanmuga, Anton Mendoza and I were in our final year of engineering studies at the University of Waterloo. We had an idea about how to deliver international callback services. >>>

How Not To Finance Your Company: TalkPoint CEO Nick Balletta (Part 1)

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

Nick is CEO of TalkPoint and a pioneer in the fields of unified communications and interactive webcasting. Nick launched his first company, Voyager Data Networks, in 1996 and sold it two years later. Prior he was the founder of NextVenue, a joint venture among Microsoft, NBC, and Dow Jones. He led its global expansion and merger into streaming media company iBeam Broadcasting. At iBeam, he served as president of enterprise services and was a member of the board before buying back the company, now known as TalkPoint, in 2003. Nick holds an MBA from Rutgers Graduate School of Management.

Sramana: Nick, tell us about your beginnings. Where are you from?

Nick Balletta: I grew up in northern New Jersey and I went to school at Rutgers for both my undergraduate and my MBA. My first job out of school was a sales job in the late 1980s for MCI Communications. Instead of going into Wall Street like most of my classmates, I decided to jump into technology. It was a really good experience starting out in frontline sales. If you look at Fortune 500 companies the vast majority of CEOs today spent time in sales organizations. It is important to know how to drive top-line revenue and understand customer requirements. >>>