Bootstrapped

Definition

A bootstrapped company is one that has grown using its own revenue and the founders' personal resources, without raising external venture capital or institutional funding. Bootstrapped businesses are typically profitable by necessity and owned entirely by their founders or a small founding team.

Context

In Ep. 20, Jake Colognesi explains that Mamba Growth specifically targets bootstrapped, founder-owned SaaS companies — businesses that "have chosen the non-traditional or you could argue actually more traditional path of not necessarily raising venture capital to fund their growth." These founders are harder to reach because they "don't need to do anything" — they're not seeking capital. When they do raise, they're asking "what's the least amount of capital that I can raise? What's the least amount of ownership that I can give up?" This makes value-first outreach essential.

Related Terms

• Growth Equity — the type of capital bootstrapped founders typically raise when they do seek investment
• Proprietary Deal Flow — bootstrapped founders often transact off-market