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 Billion-Dollar Solar Company: Canadian Solar CEO Shawn Qu (Part 1)

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

Dr. Shawn (Xiaohua) Qu is the founder, chairman, president and CEO of Canadian Solar. Prior to founding Canadian Solar in 2001, he worked at Matrix and Photowatt International as a research scientist, and director of silicon procurement, director of solar products, strategic planning and business development, and technical vice president (Asia Pacific) of Photowatt International S.A. Prior to Photowatt, he was a research scientist at Ontario Power Generation Corp. (formerly Ontario Hydro), where he worked in the development of Sphere Solar technology. Physical Review. Dr. Qu received a Ph.D. in material science from the University of Toronto in 1995, a M.Sc. in physics from the University of Manitoba in 1990 and a B.Sc. in applied physics from Singh University (Beijing, China) in 1986.

Sramana: Shawn, tell me some of your personal story. What were the factors in your background that led you to take the path that led you to where you are today?

Shawn Qu: I was born in China near Beijing. Both of my parents are university professors and taught mathematics. I grew up in Beijing. >>>

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Surviving The Dotcom Crash And Building A Sustainable Business: LivePerson CEO Rob LoCascio (Part 1)

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

Rob LoCascio is the founder and CEO of LivePerson, a leader in Intelligent Engagement Solutions that help thousands of top brands and websites around the world monitor and connect to their consumers online. Rob is a serial entrepreneur and sold his first company, IKON, in 1995, before founding LivePerson in 1998. He is also the founder of the LivePerson Cares Project, which includes a project that feeds 8,000 families in New York, earning him the title of “Person of the Day” by The Huffington Post in 2010. Robert holds a B.A. in business administration from Loyola College.

Sramana: Rob, tell me a bit about your background. What is the beginning of your personal story?

Rob LoCascio: I grew up in Long Island. My grandfather and father were entrepreneurs, and my entire family was entrepreneurial. I went to college at Loyola University and graduated in 1990. >>>

Bootstrapping A Latin American Social Networking Powerhouse With 50 Million Users: Sonico CEO Rodrigo Teijeiro (Part 1)

Rodrigo Teijeiro is the founder and CEO of Sonico, a social network for Latin America. He studied business administration at the University of Southern California and economics at theUniversidad de San Andrés. He is a self-proclaimed Internet addict and was able to position Sonico as the social network of choice for Latin America in just two years.

Sramana: Rodrigo, take us through your personal journey. Where are you from, where did you grow up, and what road did you take to become an entrepreneur?

Rodrigo Teijeiro: I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. When I was four my parents decided to go to the U.S. for a few years because he worked for the IMF and World Bank, and we lived there for five years, which is when I learned English. >>>

From Mannarakoil To CEO Of Global Scholar: Kal Raman’s Journey (Part 1)

Sramana: In 1996 when you finally left Walmart, the Internet was starting to emerge.

Kal Raman: Absolutely. I had a great mentor at Walmart, Mr. Doyle Graham, who is no more. He was like a father figure to me. He was the CIO of the international [division]; unfortunately, he passed when we was the same age as my father. >>>

From Mannarakoil To CEO Of Global Scholar: Kal Raman’s Journey (Part 1)

Kal is the CEO of GlobalScholar.com. Prior to joining GlobalScholar.com, he was senior vice president of the world wide hardlines business at Amazon.com from August 2004. From 2001 to 2004, he was the CEO of drugstore.com and also served as COO and CIO. Prior to drugstore.com, Kal has served as the CIO of NationsRent and senior director of technology at Blockbuster and as director of technology at Walmart. He began his career with Tata Consulting Services.

Sramana: Kal, tell me a bit about where you come from and your background.

Kal Raman: My name is Kalrana Raman Srinivasan, but people here call me Kal Raman. This country gave me everything I have but took 50% of my name; I suppose it was a fair trade! >>>

Connecting The Censored Internet: AnchorFree CEO David Gorodyansky, Mountain View, CA (Part 1)

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

David Gorodyansky is the CEO and co-founder of AnchorFree. Previously, David founded Intelligent Buying Inc., a profitable asset management company and reseller of IT enterprise networking equipment. Prior to that, David launched a B2B Web service in the field of competitive intelligence, which in turn, gave rise to the spin-off of a large network of IT service management portals. David’s earlier work experience has included several years of wireless research, planning, and enterprise strategy at Remedy Corporation, Fulcrum Management, and work with analyst companies such as Gartner Group, IDC, and Meta Group. David is a member of the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals and an advisor on the Technology Expert Council to Edwin M. Lee, the mayor of San Francisco.

Sramana Mitra: David, where are you from and where does your story begin?

David Gorodyansky: I was born in Moscow, Russia. I moved to Palo Alto with my parents when I was nine, so I pretty much grew up here. >>>

Growing A SaaS Startup With Velocity: Marketo CEO Phil Fernandez (Part 1)

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

Sramana: Phil, let’s start with your background. Where does your entrepreneurial journey begin?

Phil Fernandez: I’m from Ohio but I grew up all over the place, although I spent a lot of time in California. My entrepreneurial journey started in a serious way in the 1970s while I was in high school in Phoenix. Today kids learn to program all the time, but back then I had a unique opportunity to learn to program and got a job in high school as a computer programmer, which was a pretty serious position. >>>

A Case Study In SEO And Affiliate Marketing: MyCorporation CEO Deborah Sweeney (Part 1)

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

Deborah Sweeney is the CEO of MyCorporation Business Services, Inc. (“MyCorporation.com”). She has extensive experience in the startup and industry as she has been involved in the formation of hundreds of thousands of MyCorporation.com’s customers. Ms. Sweeney joined MyCorporation in 2003 after serving as outside general counsel for five years. She received her JD and MBA from Pepperdine University and is a member of the American Bar Association

Sramana: Deborah, let’s go back to where your story begins. Tell me about where you grew up and what kind of background you come from.

Deborah Sweeney: I grew up in Los Angeles and have one brother. We are a very close-knit family. I met my husband in law school and now live about 12 miles from my hometown. I haven’t moved far from my family, and they still help me with my business today. >>>

Bootstrapping To $1 Million, Then Growing to $40 Million: iContact CEO Ryan Allis: Chapel Hill, North Carolina (Part 1)

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

Ryan is the co-founder and CEO of iContact, a provider of e-mail marketing software.. iContact currently has 300 employees, 700,000 users, and $50 million in annual revenues. Ryan has been an entrepreneur since he started Allis Computing at age 11 in 1995. He is an active angel investor through the Humanity Fund, which invests in socially responsible high-growth businesses in the U.S. and East Africa. Ryan is also the founder and chairman of Virante, Inc., a 15-employee Web marketing consulting firm based Raleigh, North Carolina, and the author of the book Zero to One Million, published by McGraw-Hill, which reached #2 overall on Amazon.com and the Wall Street Journal Bestseller list. On the nonprofit side, Ryan is currently the board Chairman for Nourish International, which has chapters at 22 colleges across the United States. In 2009, he received recognition as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans by the U.S. Junior Chamber. Ryan attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was an economics major and a Blanchard Scholar. Ryan is currently enrolled in the EO/MIT Entrepreneurial Masters Program (EMP). >>>

Monetizing Free Traffic That Refuses To Convert To Premium: SocialVibe CEO Jay Samit, Los Angeles (Part 1)

Jay Samit is a serial entrepreneur and the CEO of SocialVibe, a company that focuses on monetizing Internet traffic by allowing users to select charitable donations for viewed advertisements. He began his career by founding Jasmine Multimedia, one of the first companies to develop video multimedia on computer platforms. He has also served as a senior executive at Universal Studios, EMI and Sony. He has a BS with honors from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Sramana: Jay, to begin let’s learn a little bit about you and the back-story leading up to SocialVibe.

Jay Samit: I grew up in Philadelphia. My father was a math teacher and my mother was an English teacher. My dad eventually left teaching and started a restaurant. >>>