Best of Bootstrapping: Bootstrapped to $30M from Florida

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

SproutLoud CEO Jared Shusterman bootstrapped his company with his bar mitzvah money. Read his wonderful story from 2017!

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

Jared Shusterman: I was born in Miami, Florida. I’m one of the few South Florida natives. I grew up in a middle class family that had a very heavy focus on education. After I graduated high school, I went to the University of Virginia. I got a Bachelors degree with a Finance and Marketing concentration. Shortly after that, I moved out to San Francisco and worked for an investment bank in the online media practice. That’s the quick summary of my initial upbringing.

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615th 1Mby1M Roundtable for Entrepreneurs Starting NOW: Live Tweeting by @1Mby1M

Today’s 615th FREE online 1Mby1M Roundtable for Entrepreneurs is starting NOW, on Thursday, August 10, 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!

Bootstrapping an AI-Powered Security Startup to $10M+ in Revenue: Osprey Security CEO Rohit Anabheri (Part 1)

Rohit has effectively used the Bootstrapping Using Services technique to bootstrap an AI-Powered Enterprise Security venture to mid eight figure revenues. In that process, he has turned down offers for Venture Capital. I believe, in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, currently, Bootstrapping Using Services is one of the best ways to find problems to solve and build successful companies.

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Best of Bootstrapping: Bootstrapped First from Belarus

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

As you know, I love stories of entrepreneurs in different parts of the world finding success through grit and creativity. PandaDoc CEO Mikita Mikado’s story from 2017 gives us insight into what happened in Belarus, and how he navigated his way to raising money in Silicon Valley.

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

Mikita Mikado: I’m from Belarus, which is a small, former Soviet Union state on the western border of Russia. I was born in 1986. That’s about the time when things went down. My journey began there. I went to a normal Belarusian school. I was a typical Belarusian kid at that time.

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Best of Bootstrapping: Bootstrapped to $30M from the Czech Republic

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

This is a wonderful story of a Czech entrepreneur, Vaclav Muchna, Co-owner and CEO of Y Soft. At age 22, at a time when his country was far from ready to support entrepreneurs, he struggled through immense odds and has built a global business. Read on for inspiration and excellent lessons from our discussion in 2017.

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

Vaclav Muchna: I was born in Czech Republic. I studied electronics in high school, which I didn’t like. It was not possible back then that would parlay into the software industry. Because the country was not so developed, access to technologies was limited. I really didn’t like the school. I was born and raised in Prague and then moved to Brno which is the largest city.

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August 10 – 615th 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable for Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs are invited to the 615th FREE online 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable on Thursday, August 10, 2023, at 8 a.m. PDT/11 a.m. EDT/5 p.m. CEST/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!

Best of Bootstrapping: Bootstrapped to $10M First, Raised $25M Later

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

“Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later,” is the 1Mby1M mantra. Ashik Ahmed, Co-founder of Deputy, shared his story in 2017 of bootstrapping to $10 Million from Australia before raising $25 Million from the US in the first external financing.

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

Ashik Ahmed: I was born in Bangladesh. In 1997, my whole family migrated to Melbourne in Australia. I did my high school education as well as university in Melbourne. Then we moved to Sydney where I started working for my co-founder. My co-founder and I founded Deputy in 2008.

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Catching Up On Readings: IPO’s First Half 2023

This feature from Zacks looks at how IPOs fared in the first half of 2023. Total proceeds raised were $7.6 billion this year, up 91.3% from last year. For this week’s posts, click on the paragraph links.