The virtues of bootstrapping your startup

What did it take for these startups to get started without venture capital?

With venture financing all around, why did these startups not go through with venture financing rounds?

Some didn't have a choice, until they got bigger and at that point taking VC funding didn't make sense. Some wanted to focus on raising money (or making money) from customers rather than spending time fundraising from investors and others wanted to enjoy a lifestyle business.

The moderar of this panel - Naveen Jain, a prolific entrepreneur and angel investor - also bootstrapped his company SparkArt. Panelists were: Gleb Budman (Founder & CEO, Backblaze), Drew Curtis (Founder & CEO, Fark), and Gary Tsifrin (Founder & CEO, Driversed.com).

How much did it cost these founders to start their companies? Watch the video! 

Thanks to our Vator Splash Oakland video sponsor, Oakland Forward and Bryan Parker, Oakland Mayoral candidate. 

Save the Date: Splash LA is Oct. 2 in Santa Monica. Speakers include Jessica Alba and Brian Lee, Founders of The Honest Company, Michael Heyward, Founder & CEO, Whisper, Mike Jones, Founder & CEO, Science, and many more. Register here.