Bootstrapping
Building a company using personal savings and revenue rather than outside investment.
Bootstrapped founders fund growth from their own resources and customer revenue, retaining full ownership and control. It enforces discipline and focus on profitability but can limit growth speed. Many startups bootstrap early before raising once a model is proven.
Examples
A founder bootstraps a services business to £20k MRR before raising. — A SaaS founder reinvests all profit to avoid taking VC money.
How it relates to The Startup Foundry
Even bootstrapped founders benefit from the free Investability Report to understand their score, and can raise from the Foundry’s fund when ready to accelerate.