Change in Goals

2. What happens if my goals change (e.g., from bootstrapping to raising funds, or vice versa)—can the support be adapted midstream?

1Mby1M Suitability for Non-Tech Founders

9. Is the 1Mby1M program suitable for non-tech founders, or those outside major startup hubs?

1Mby1M Program Suitability During Idea Validation Stage

Is the program suitable if I’m still validating my idea or have several ideas to sort through?

1Mby1M Alumni Network

Is there a formal 1Mby1M alumni network for ongoing support, collaboration, or peer learning?

Best of Bootstrapping: Bootstrapped a Cybersecurity Venture with a Paycheck

Christian Geyer convinced the board of his employer to let him incubate a cybersecurity startup idea as a division of the company with an express intent of spinning it off. Now, ACTFORE has been spun out, doing almost $20M in bootstrapped annual revenue, and may soon find a lucrative exit. This is a phenomenal story for entrepreneurs considering the Bootstrapping with a Paycheck route.

Sramana Mitra: All right, Christian, let’s start at the very beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born, raised? What kind of background?

Christian Geyer: Well, I was born and raised in Reston, Virginia. I’m almost what I would consider a homebody. So, I’ve pretty much lived in Reston, Virginia. The only time I left was for college. I’m very centrally focused on family. My business is in Reston, Virginia, just a few miles from my actual childhood home and my current home.

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Best of Bootstrapping: Bootstrapped with a Paycheck to $7M

This conversation from 2023 with AIScreen CEO and Co-founder Nikita Sherbina is a classic bootstrapping story with a very small team to serious revenue.

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

Nikita Sherbina: I was born and raised in Ukraine. I moved to the United States about six years ago without knowing anything about this land.

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Best of Bootstrapping: Serial Entrepreneur Bootstrapped PropTech Ventures

LuxuryProperty Founder Jason Hayes has worked at the cusp of real estate and digital marketing for 35 years and built three successful ventures. All of them are bootstrapped, organically grown, and capital efficient businesses. Here is our discussion from 2023.

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

Jason Hayes: I’m speaking to you from Dubai. I was born in the UK, brought up in Sri Lanka, and I’ve spent time living and working in the Barbardos and California. I’ve been in Dubai for nearly eight years now. I consider myself a global citizen.

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Startup Funding is a Low Probability Game

Startup funding is a low probability game. LESS than 1% GET funding. Over 99% get rejected. How do you play this game and win? Learn from great Unicorn founders like Fred Luddy (ServiceNow), Christian Chabot (Tableau), and Greg Gianforte (RightNow).

Entrepreneurs typically go to VCs like beggars.

Is there a better way? You bet there is!

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