More bootstrapping Stories

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Every developer who makes a popular web or mobile app is eventually faced with a decision: They can either stick with the status quo or swing for the fences. These days, many people are taking VC and going big — but is that the right choice? Read more »

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Screen shot 2011-07-27 at 12.57.24 PM

Despite growing competition from ReadItLater, which just raised $2.5 million, VC-backed Scribd and Apple, Instapaper’s Marco Arment is sticking to his now outside funding stance. He said even with the added company, he can make Instapaper work by focusing on his niche and executing. Read more »

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LachlanDonald 99Designs

99Designs acquired a devoted customer base, logged millions in annual revenue, and achieved profitable operations without taking on a dime of venture capital. I sat down with employee number one and CTO Lachlan Donald to find out how the company bootstrapped its way to profitability. Read more »

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A session called Bootstrap Your Startup at South by Southwest 2009 provided valuable insight for the many web workers who are either embarking on their own online business venture or considering doing so. Led by Bijoy Goswami, CEO of Aviri, and Marcy Hoen, founder of Austin […] Read more »

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Felicia Day, creator of web series The Guild, said during her talk at NewTeeVee Live that she had some major sponsorship on news on the way. Looks like it’s a bit more than just that: The Hollywood Reporter writes that Microsoft has nabbed the exclusive rights […] Read more »

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Greg Linden was one of the key developers behind Amazon’s recommendations system, which recommends books, movies, and other products to Amazon customers based on their purchase history. He subsequently went to Stanford and picked up an MBA, and in January 2004, he launched a startup named […] Read more »

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If you’re bootstrapping your startup, offshoring your web development is a great way to save money. But it’s also fraught with risk. Working with remote contractors makes it far harder to manage project development and communicate ideas. Taking proper steps to protect yourself is crucial. I’ve […] Read more »

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Editor’s Note: Our latest “startup math” piece comes to you from Found|READ contributor Steve Nielsen. He is founder and CEO of PartnerUp , the online network that helps entrepreneurs find good business partners. Steve’s last post was a handy index of the major Web2.0 M&A deals […] Read more »

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Even though my company, Altos Research, isn’t actively seeking capital, I had breakfast the other day with a venture guy at Buck’s in Woodside, Calif. VCs can be very useful for strategic advice even if — or, especially when — you don’t want their money. Interestingly, […] Read more »

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Editor’s Note: Matt Rogers is the founder of Aroxo, a novel retail and exchange website based in London. Matt has been chronicling his founder’s experience, and sharing the lessons learned with Found|READ. Earlier posts include How to bootstrap Your Startup and Getting to Launch. His latest […] Read more »

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Today we introduce FoundWATCH, our new series of video Q&As with business luminaries — serial founders, thought leaders in entrepreneurship, big name investors, and more — all of whom will share their hard-earned wisdom for how you can be more successful with your startups. Our first […] Read more »