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

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

Onit Founder CEO 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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Heather Hiles: The problem with community colleges is, even after you have AA and even after Bachelor, they don’t get themselves hired. They don’t find themselves having industry capabilities. One can earn $100,000 being a Salesforce Administrator. I can teach you in probably four months. You can’t learn that at a community college. You could get an AA degree, but you still don’t have a way to earn a good living.

Sramana Mitra: But that’s my point. You can learn Salesforce Administration through Udemy.

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1Mby1M Virtual Accelerator Investor Forum: With Heather Hiles, Founder and Managing Partner at Imminent Equity (Part 4)

Sramana Mitra: One of the reasons why we got attracted to Udemy as a platform to work with is because of the reach and democratization. There is no barrier to entry. Has Udemy made an impact in the startup ecosystem?

Heather Hiles: It has. It has been transformative for people around the world. It’s one of the reasons that I was so thrilled to be asked to join the Board of Directors in 2020. Over my 35 years, I’ve become a bit of an expert in how to upskill people. I had just come from building the first state-wide community college online teaching program of actual competencies and job technical skills to underemployed people in order to upskill them.

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Le Fleuve, Aerial  II | Sramana Mitra, 2021 | Watercolor, Pastel, Brush Pen | 8  x 8, On Paper

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