2025 Resolution: Make Your Startup Fundable [Video]

Posted on Friday, Jan 24th 2025

As you know, I categorically support bootstrapped entrepreneurs.

There are numerous startups now that have achieved some revenue without any external funding.

However, it has taken time. Sometimes, it has taken 5-7 years to get there.

VCs, however, are looking for velocity.Their goal is to achieve $100M in 5-7 years.

So how does an entrepreneur with a profitable bootstrapped company convince investors that (s)he can get to $100M in the next 4-5 years?How is that a credible, defensible claim?

This question is at the heart of the Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later strategy that we practice and advocate in 1Mby1M.

The key to this is in establishing a clear Positioning and GTM strategy with precise metrics.If your positioning can show a defensible bottom-up TAM, and if your GTM validates a repeatable customer acquisition strategy that can be scaled aggressively by injecting capital, you CAN raise money.

To raise funding, sometimes further funding beyond a small round, requires that …