Subscribe
Sign in
General
p/generalShare and discuss tech, products, business, startups, or product recommendations
Start new thread
Ruben Boonzaaijer

Bootstrapping vs. Fundraising: What's Your Startup Strategy?

9
•
Debate the pros and cons of bootstrapping versus fundraising for software startups. Share your experiences and insights on autonomy, growth, financial risks, and long-term sustainability. Let's learn from each other's successes and challenges!

Add a comment

Replies
Best
Maurizio Isendoorn
Depends on how savvy the founders are. When they can make most of it themselves, I'd advice bootstrapping first and only after a growth plateau think about fundraising. At ringly.io we will do this as well. But when the founders have little experience or the product is expensive to build, fundraising might be the one to opt for.
Maurizio Isendoorn
@jopie With little experience I meant experience in actually building (coding) the product themselves. When they do know how to lead devs to build the product for them, it tends to become quite expensive. Hence the option to fundraise. But you're absolutely right about what resources are needed to get to profitability or at least first revenue.
Neel
Bootstrapping initially for sure. Depending on the PMF, traction, retention, monetization - I would want to take a call whether to raise VC money therafter. Expecting to pivot and 'figure out' PMF post VC-money is just going to raise unwanted attention and expectations early on.
Elena Tsemirava
We're managing on our own for now. But, we're planning to seek investors. Giving up a portion of the shares will be necessary, but without a quick infusion of funds initially, rapid growth is not possible.
Callum Jones
Bootstrap then raise, but have a compelling reason to raise. Don't do it because you feel like its the 'done thing'
Gurkaran Singh
Deciding between bootstrapping and fundraising for your startup? It's like choosing between a slow and steady climb or a rocket ship ride to the top. Both have their perks and pitfalls, so why not mix a dash of hustle with a sprinkle of investment magic? Your startup journey might just turn into a tech-tastic rollercoaster of success and growth! 🚀🌟