Acquisition or IPO?

Looking at a big question some startups face

October 07, 2024

In partnership with

Bootstrapped Tech for the week of October 7, 2024

Welcome to this issue of Bootstrapped Tech, a weekly newsletter for and about bootstrapped startups.

This week’s Bootstrapped Tech headlines

  • How do you know when to accept an acquisition offer or aim for an IPO? Kevin Ryan has been instrumental in building companies like Business Insider, Zola, and MongoDB. With his experience leading DoubleClick to its $3.1 billion acquisition by Google, Ryan offers insights into the tough decision founders face. Read more…

  • Deep-tech innovation has driven breakthroughs like SpaceX and mRNA vaccines, attracting 20% of venture capital investment. However, these startups face unique challenges due to long R&D timelines and high costs. A new Harvard Business Review piece explores whether the lean startup approach can be applied to deep-tech ventures or if a different strategy is needed. Read more…

  • In last week’s issue of Bootstrapped Tech, there was a headline about Bop Spotter, a solar-powered box with a Shazam-ing phone high above a San Francisco street, capturing the city's music 24/7. Now, the creator is working to add boxes to additional cities after securing donations on Twitter. Read more…

  • Should you follow your passion? In a new blog post, Y Combinator founder Paul Graham says the answer depends on your goals. If your focus is making money, you often have to prioritize practicality, but passion is key for doing great work or launching something groundbreaking. Read more…

  • After seven years of bootstrapping, Attekus, a booking and event management platform for Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) local councils, has raised $5 million in its first external funding round. Led by Five V Venture Capital, the funds will help expand their platform, Bookable, which is used by 20% of ANZ councils. Read more…

  • Over on LinkedIn, there’s a one-minute video by Jesse Cole, founder of the Savannah Bananas baseball team. It’s filled with great lessons for startups. Watch the video…

  • When was the last time you spoke at length with a customer? You’d be amazed at what you can learn if you set aside 30 minutes weekly for customer conversations. This week’s issue of No Budget Marketing focused on what questions to ask when you meet one-on-one with your customers. Read more…

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Thanks for reading! See you next week!