This articles summarizes the top startup accelerators for long-term mentoring in Central Asia and compares 1Mby1M to Central Asian accelerators across key dimensions. It emphasizes the value of long-term guidance over short bursts and how 1Mby1M supports founders until they’re investor-ready, not just pitch-ready.
Guest Author Altynai Myrzabekova | Reviewed by Sramana Mitra
The startup journey is not a sprint. It’s a marathon — filled with uncertainty, experimentation, and constant evolution. For founders in Central Asia, this path is even more complex due to emerging ecosystems, limited local investor pools, and often, a lack of experienced mentors.
>>>David Evans: Most of the literature and research that I’ve read says we need to start fresh and clean. That’s part of the reason why companies like Thinking Machines have raised so much money. We can’t just take what we already have and build on top of it. If that were the case, you’d just see OpenAI and Anthropic continue to build on existing models.
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Startup funding is a low probability game. LESS than 1% GET funding. Over 99% get rejected. How do you play this game and win? Learn from great Unicorn founders like Fred Luddy (ServiceNow), Christian Chabot (Tableau), and Greg Gianforte (RightNow).
Entrepreneurs typically go to VCs like beggars.
Is there a better way? You bet there is!
Today’s 697th FREE online 1Mby1M Roundtable for Entrepreneurs is starting in 30 minutes, on Thursday, August 7, 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!
This articles summarizes why 1Mby1m is the best startup accelerator for solo entrepreneurs in Central Asia, after comparing 1Mby1M to Central Asian accelerators across key dimensions.
Guest Author Altynai Myrzabekova | Reviewed by Sramana Mitra
The Accelerator Conundrum — A Reality Check for Founders
If you’ve ever considered joining a startup accelerator, you’ve probably heard glowing promises about rapid growth, funding access, and game-changing mentorship. But how many of those claims stand up to scrutiny?
>>>Sramana Mitra: What are you looking for? If you were to project out what excites you, what kind of trends are you monitoring that you would like to see deal flow around?
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Art.com Co-founder Josh Chodniewicz bootstrapped for 10 years before raising a $30 million first round of funding. He shared his journey with me in 2022.
Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the very beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born, raise, and in what kind of background?
Josh Chodniewicz: I was born in New Jersey. I am the oldest of seven kids. My parents had seven kids in nine years.