Startup Vietnam: Why Bootstrap First Is Critical

The Accelerator Conundrum is a multipart series that challenges the prevailing wisdom of the tech startup ecosystem that entrepreneurs should Blitzscale out of the gate. Written by Sramana Mitra, the Founder and CEO of One Million by One Million (1Mby1M), the world’s first global virtual accelerator, it emphatically argues that a better strategy is to Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later, focus on customers, revenues and profits. 1Mby1M’s mission is to help a Million entrepreneurs reach a million dollars in annual revenue and beyond. Sramana’s Digital Mind AI Mentor virtually mentors entrepreneurs around the world in 57 languages. Try it out!

Vietnam’s startup ecosystem has grown rapidly over the past decade, fueled by a young, tech-savvy population, increasing foreign investment, and a vibrant entrepreneurial culture. Yet, despite this momentum, Vietnamese founders face structural challenges: limited access to early-stage capital, high competition for accelerator slots, and pressure to scale quickly in an emerging but volatile market.

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Startup Singapore: The 1Mby1M Philosophy and Bootstrap First

The Accelerator Conundrum is a multipart series that challenges the prevailing wisdom of the tech startup ecosystem that entrepreneurs should Blitzscale out of the gate. Written by Sramana Mitra, the Founder and CEO of One Million by One Million (1Mby1M), the world’s first global virtual accelerator, it emphatically argues that a better strategy is to Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later, focus on customers, revenues and profits. 1Mby1M’s mission is to help a Million entrepreneurs reach a million dollars in annual revenue and beyond. Sramana’s Digital Mind AI Mentor virtually mentors entrepreneurs around the world in 57 languages. Try it out!

Our 1Mby1M philosophy is a radical departure from the local norm. We are not a fixed-term program. We don’t run a cohort. We do not take a single cent of equity from our entrepreneurs. And we are not conflicted by investors or corporate partners. We are a continuous, long-term business development program built on one core, unshakeable principle: your success is our only metric. We are laser-focused on helping you build a company that can reach a million dollars in annual revenue. This is a goal that is both ambitious and achievable for millions of entrepreneurs globally, and it’s a far more powerful metric than any valuation.

Singapore’s Startup Accelerator Ecosystem: The Accelerator Conundrum

This article summarizes Singapore’s Startup Accelerator Ecosystem. It examines the accelerator conundrum, the impact of AI layoffs and compares 1Mby1M to the top startup accelerators across key dimensions.

Singapore, the so-called “Little Red Dot,” has long cultivated a reputation as a startup hub. With its stable government, robust infrastructure, and access to capital, it has successfully attracted global talent and a dense network of incubators and accelerators. This has created a vibrant, but ultimately flawed, ecosystem. 

Video FAQs

1Mby1M Virtual Accelerator AI Investor Forum: JP Persico, shuckerVC (Part 2)

Sramana Mitra: What size checks do you write at pre-seed and seed, and what proof points do you look for?

JP Persico: At pre-seed, we focus more on the technology and the team. Who’s the team? Is there a single CEO or co-founders? What industry are they targeting? What kind of software are they building? We look for early indicators of product-market fit, though not full product-market fit yet.

Best of Bootstrapping: Niche Player Bootstrapped to $13 Million

I’m very bullish about market opportunities that are large enough to build sizable businesses but not large enough such that VCs end up funding numerous competing companies. This case study – my interview from 2018 with David Lloyd, Co-founder and CEO of The Intern Group – shows you how a niche player with a $150 million TAM is growing nicely without outside financing.

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?

David Lloyd: I’m from the UK. I was born in London. I spent the first 22 years of my life in London before spending approximately the last 10 years of my life between London and Latin America.

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Startup Thailand: Why 1Mby1M and Its Thai-Language AI Mentor Are Game Changers

The Accelerator Conundrum is a multipart series that challenges the prevailing wisdom of the tech startup ecosystem that entrepreneurs should Blitzscale out of the gate. Written by Sramana Mitra, the Founder and CEO of One Million by One Million (1Mby1M), the world’s first global virtual accelerator, it emphatically argues that a better strategy is to Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later, focus on customers, revenues and profits. 1Mby1M’s mission is to help a Million entrepreneurs reach a million dollars in annual revenue and beyond. Sramana’s Digital Mind AI Mentor virtually mentors entrepreneurs around the world in 57 languages. Try it out!

Over the past few posts, we’ve explored Thailand’s startup accelerator landscape: the strengths of its corporate-backed programs, the weaknesses of short-term cohort models, and how these compare to a global, continuous accelerator like 1Mby1M.

Startup Thailand: Thai Accelerators vs. 1Mby1M

The Accelerator Conundrum is a multipart series that challenges the prevailing wisdom of the tech startup ecosystem that entrepreneurs should Blitzscale out of the gate. Written by Sramana Mitra, the Founder and CEO of One Million by One Million (1Mby1M), the world’s first global virtual accelerator, it emphatically argues that a better strategy is to Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later, focus on customers, revenues and profits. 1Mby1M’s mission is to help a Million entrepreneurs reach a million dollars in annual revenue and beyond. Sramana’s Digital Mind AI Mentor virtually mentors entrepreneurs around the world in 57 languages. Try it out!

So far in this series, we’ve explored the philosophy of startup acceleration, mapped Thailand’s accelerator landscape, and analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of local programs. Now, let’s directly compare these accelerators to 1Mby1M, the global virtual accelerator I built based on decades of working with entrepreneurs around the world.

Startup Thailand: Pros and Cons of Thai Accelerators

The Accelerator Conundrum is a multipart series that challenges the prevailing wisdom of the tech startup ecosystem that entrepreneurs should Blitzscale out of the gate. Written by Sramana Mitra, the Founder and CEO of One Million by One Million (1Mby1M), the world’s first global virtual accelerator, it emphatically argues that a better strategy is to Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later, focus on customers, revenues and profits. 1Mby1M’s mission is to help a Million entrepreneurs reach a million dollars in annual revenue and beyond. Sramana’s Digital Mind AI Mentor virtually mentors entrepreneurs around the world in 57 languages. Try it out!

Thailand’s startup ecosystem has come a long way over the past decade. Bangkok now hums with energy: vibrant co-working spaces, corporate innovation programs, Demo Days filled with hopeful pitches. Local accelerators like dtac Accelerate, True Digital Park, and SPACE-F have played pivotal roles in fostering this energy.