Best of Bootstrapping: Bootstrapped Legal Companies First, Raised Money Later

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

Onit Co-founder Eric Elfman has built two sizable companies in legal tech from Houston, Texas. 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?

Eric Elfman: I was born and raised in Houston, Texas. I had a different educational journey compared to a lot of entrepreneurs. I dropped out of high school when I was in 10th grade and joined the Navy. The Navy turned me around and straightened me out. There, I figured out that I wanted to be an entrepreneur. 

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Featured Videos

636th 1Mby1M Roundtable for Entrepreneurs Starting NOW: Live Tweeting by @1Mby1M

Today’s 636th FREE online 1Mby1M Roundtable for Entrepreneurs is starting NOW, on Thursday, April 11, at 8 a.m. PDT / 11 a.m. EDT / 5 p.m. CEST / 8:30 p.m. India IST. CLICK HERE to join. PASSWORD: startup  All are welcome!       

636th Roundtable for Entrepreneurs Starting in 30 Minutes: Live Tweeting by @1Mby1M

Today’s 636th FREE online 1Mby1M Roundtable for Entrepreneurs is starting in 30 minutes, on Thursday, April 11, at 8 a.m. PDT / 11 a.m. EDT / 5 p.m. CEST / 8:30 p.m. India IST. CLICK HERE to join. PASSWORD: startup  All are welcome!

Video FAQs

Long Bootstrapped Journey into Cutting-Edge Generative AI: Jeff Kuo, Founder of Ragic (Part 4)

Sramana Mitra: In what mode were you using Ragic? In the no-code mode or in the semantic database mode? And who was the client? Was that the IT department that was the client?

Jeff Kuo: No, we were working directly for the users. We’re basically like a database or application developing company. We’re were just using Ragic as a tool to develop them.

Sramana Mitra: So, you were not selling the tool; you were selling the applications built with the tool.

Best of Bootstrapping: Bootstrapped Using Services to $20 Million

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

VisiQuate Founder CEO Brian Robertson is a serial bootstrapper. In fact, he always bootstraps using services. A terrific entrepreneur to learn from. This conversation is from 2020.

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

Brian Robertson: I’m from Northern California. We’re not in the heart of Silicon Valley, but up in Sonoma County. I was born in Kansas City, Missouri, but I was only there for two weeks. My dad was in the Navy. His family was from the Midwest and we were there for a short period.

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Thursday, April 11 – 636th 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable for Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs are invited to the 636th FREE online 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable on Thursday, April 11, 2024, at 8 a.m. PDT / 11 a.m. EDT / 4 p.m. CET / 8:30 p.m. India IST.

If you are a serious entrepreneur, register to “pitch” and sell your business idea. You’ll receive straightforward feedback, advice on next steps, and answers to any of your questions. Others can register to “attend” to watch, learn, and interact through the online chat.

You can learn more here and REGISTER TO PITCH OR ATTEND HERE. Register and you will receive the recording by email, even if you are unable to attend. Please share with any entrepreneurs in your circle who may be interested. All are welcome!

AI Unicorns: DataRobot Delays Listing Plans

According to a recent report, the global generative AI market size is expected to grow 37% annually through 2030. The industry was estimated at $13 billion in 2023. While AI has become a buzz word more recently, companies like Boston-based DataRobot have been working on AI and ML tools for quite a while.

Long Bootstrapped Journey into Cutting-Edge Generative AI: Jeff Kuo, Founder of Ragic (Part 3)

Sramana Mitra: But the no-code hypothesis was correct.

Jeff Kuo: The hypothesis is pretty much correct, and up to now, it still seems quite correct. But the no-code part is hard to do technically. Not just that, it’s very hard to teach non-technical people to learn how to do this. It is a lot harder than I expected.