Best of Bootstrapping: Bootstrapped Y Soft 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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Indian Unicorns 2022: Upstox Becomes the Second Largest Online Stock Brokerage in India

Like with the US, India’s stock market had a bumper year in 2021. Interest rates in the country kept depleting, but the markets were surging. 14.2 million new stock Demat accounts were opened in FY21 in India and they grew 26% to 51.5 million accounts. Most new investors are attracted by the record-high stock index levels and the continued ease in opening a Demat account in the country. Upstox is among the latest unicorns to benefit from this growth.

Building a 2-sided Farm to Table Marketplace from Indiana: Nick Carter, CEO of Market Wagon (Part 3)

Sramana Mitra: From your network, how big of a consumer base were you able to pull together?

Nick Carter: We got to about 70 to 80 orders a week, which is $2,500 to $3,000 in sales. It was enough of a critical mass.

Sramana Mitra: How long did it stay in just Indianapolis?

Nick Carter: The first year.

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Indian Unicorns 2022: slice Focuses on Expanding Credit Card Services in India

According to a recent PwC report, India is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, but there exists a significant gap in accessing formal credit, especially when compared to other developed nations. Banks and financial institutions are helping fill this gap by introducing new payment products and instruments that make it easier for users to access formal credit. Recently, these institutions have shifted their focus towards instruments like credit cards. Credit card issuance has grown in the country by 20% annually over the last four years. The number of credit cardholders increased from 29 million in March 2017 to 62 million in March 2021. New FinTech players are also disrupting the market by introducing new and innovative products and offerings to consumers. slice is one such new fintech player focusing on India’s youth.

Best of Bootstrapping: Bootstrapping to $10M from Australia, Raising $25M from the US

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, CEO / CTO Co-founder of Deputy, shared his story in 2017 of bootstrapping to $10 Million before raising $25 Million 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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Thursday, January 6 – 558th 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable for Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs are invited to the 558th FREE online 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable on Thursday, January 6, 2022, at 8 a.m. PST/11 a.m. EST/5 p.m. CET/9:30 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!

Bootstrapping by Piggybacking: Evenica CEO Sadek Ali (Part 2)

Sramana Mitra: You started doing programming work for this one company. What happens after that?

Sadek Ali: Once I had gotten that particular gig, the actual relationship lasted about two years. It happened to be with OpenText. This is where I got immersed with search technologies. I fell in love with them at that time. My brother and I took a look at how to deal with large data intractable problems. We looked at image processing and environmental systems. That led me into doing my Masters.

Building a 2-sided Farm to Table Marketplace from Indiana: Nick Carter, CEO of Market Wagon (Part 2)

Sramana Mitra: What year does this bring us up to?

Nick Carter: About 2013 is when I started working on food and agriculture.

Sramana Mitra: What were you doing?

Nick Carter: I started a food manufacturing business. Eventually, I realized that I needed to use my tech entrepreneurship skills to focus on the local food scene. I built technology to power an online farmer’s market. It’s a two-sided marketplace called Market Wagon.