Best of Bootstrapping: An AI Startup Bootstrapped Using Services

Co-founder Nitesh Chawla bootstrapped Aunalytics while keeping his academic job at Notre Dame. This is our conversation from 2021.

Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the very beginning of your story. Where are you from? Where you born, raised, and in what kind of background?

Nitesh Chawla: I’m from New Delhi although I was born in Calcutta. I did my schooling from Delhi Public School. Then I did my engineering from Pune. Then I came to the United States in 1993 right after finishing my undergrad. I went to grad school in South Florida. I got my PhD in Computer Science with a focus on Machine Learning and Data Science.

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1Mby1M Virtual Accelerator AI Investor Forum: Lisa Chai, General Partner at Interwoven Ventures (Part 3)

Sramana Mitra: From what I gathered, you are focusing on Vertical AI? Is that a correct observation?

Lisa Chai: We lean heavier towards Vertical AI, but it’s not a mandate.

Sramana Mitra: Okay. Let’s double click down on Vertical AI. We’ll come back to what else you’re doing besides Vertical AI.

Bootstrapping in the Age of AI

The Age of AI is also the golden age of Bootstrapping. And it is the golden age of Solo Entrepreneurs. With AI, you can build a lot in an ultralight mode and get VCs salivating. The key is Positioning. Let’s discuss the nuances.

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Cloud Stocks: Broadcom Eyes a $90 Billion Market Opportunity

According to a recent report, the global AI chip market is projected to grow at 20% CAGR to reach $311.6 billion by 2029 from $123.16 billion in 2024. The growth in the market is driven by the increasing adoption of AI technologies and applications across various industries, including BFSI, healthcare, retail & e-commerce, and media & entertainment. One player benefiting from this growth is Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO) that recently announced its quarterly results.

1Mby1M Virtual Accelerator AI Investor Forum: Lisa Chai, General Partner at Interwoven Ventures (Part 2)

Sramana Mitra: What do you want to see in a company? What is the stage of development of the company that you want to see before you’re willing to write a check?

Lisa Chai: We want to see some type of product that you’ve already developed like a demo. If you have a couple of pilot customers, that’s wonderful.

We Like Bootstrapping to Exit

This week, we’re discussing how the Age of AI is also the golden age of Bootstrapping, and also of Solo Entrepreneurship. Yes, you CAN and SHOULD bootstrap with a Paycheck. Yes, you CAN and SHOULD bootstrap to an Exit.

Are you trying to do a startup as a SOLO entrepreneur? Your time has come.

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Can You Be an Entrepreneur Alone?

Are you trying to do a startup as a SOLO entrepreneur? And are people telling you that you can’t? They’re wrong. You CAN. But there are complexities you need to understand. Let’s discuss the nuances.

Fred Luddy bootstrapped ServiceNow as a Solo entrepreneur bootstrapping with a paycheck. He went on to raise a lot of VC funding. And, he went on to build a Unicorn.

If you are a solo entrepreneur doing a startup for the first time, assume you have to bootstrap.

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1Mby1M Virtual Accelerator AI Investor Forum: Lisa Chai, General Partner at Interwoven Ventures (Part 1)

Lisa Chai, Co-founder and General Partner at Interwoven Ventures, discusses her firm’s investment thesis.