Catching Up On Readings: Startup Battlefield at Disrupt 2022

This feature from TechCrunch covers the highlights of the Startup Battlefield at Disrupt 2022 where among the 20 finalists that pitched on stage, five finalists were selected, and one winner was announced for the $100,000 prize and the Startup Battlefield cup. For this week’s posts, click on the paragraph links.

Best of Bootstrapping: Bootstrapping with Services to $12M

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

You know that we believe in the Bootstrapping Using Services methodology quite firmly. Here is Square Root Founder Chris Taylor’s story from 2016 – a great example of how and why bootstrapping using services works.

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?

Chris Taylor: I grew up in rural West Virginia. You won’t meet a lot of entrepreneurs out of West Virginia. When I was four, my father passed away, so my brother and I were raised by our mother. She did a fantastic job. My brother is also another entrepreneur. In college, I went to Carnegie-Mellon and studied Computer Science, Psychology, and Mathematics.

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Catching Up On Readings: FinTech 250 2022

This annual report from CB Insights lists 250 of the most promising private FinTech companies in the world that are shaping the future of B2B and B2C financial services, from payments and banking to investing and insurance. For this week’s posts, click on the paragraph links.

Catching Up On Readings: Fast Unicorn Faders

This feature from Crunchbase News looks at how startups that quickly rise to unicorn status, especially in sectors like scooters and instant grocery delivery, don’t sustain their high valuations. For this week’s posts, click on the paragraph links.

Best of Bootstrapping: Bootstrapped First, Raised $120M Later

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

This discussion from 2020 with Madwire Co-CEO JB Kellogg includes all sorts of interesting nuances, including DIFM vs. DIY. Read on.

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?

JB Kellogg: I’m from Colorado. I was born and raised there. We moved around, but most of my childhood was in Colorado. I was very into sports as a kid. I grew up with that as my primary focus, which catapulted me into college on scholarship for football.

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Catching Up On Readings: Ad Fraud

This feature from Wired looks at fake online advertising and how automated worker bees of cyberspace influence online behavior. For this week’s posts, click on the paragraph links.

Best of Bootstrapping: Bootstrapped First, Then Scaled with VC Funds

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

When we spoke in 2019, Faction Founder Luke Norris had executed a tremendously effective Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later strategy from Colorado.

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?

Luke Norris: I was born in Nevada. 

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Catching Up On Readings: AI 100 2022

This report from CB Insights ranks the 100 most promising private AI companies in the world that are working on diverse solutions designed to recycle plastic waste, improve hearing aids, and combat toxic online gaming behavior. For this week’s posts, click on the paragraph links.