When starting a new “startup”, the most likely course of action is MVP, VC, Exit, Profit! For NewsTrapper we were thinking of going down the YCombinator/TechStars route, but at the last minute decided to try bootstrapping it ourselves.
The main reason is that I think there are a lot of valuable lessons to learn trying to go through the whole process of bootstrapping with very little budget, but another factor is that recently I’ve been turned off the idea of VC. One of the main motivators for wanting to create my own business is to be my own boss. While fame and fortune are nice goals, more than anything I want to have freedom to do what I want. When you take VC you basically have a new boss. I don’t want to report to anyone. To have to go to meetings, produce presentations and seek the approval of others before I can make any decisions. Perhaps it’s old age that’s made me more drawn to freedom than money.