10 Courses On Building A Startup By Piggybacking On A Platform
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I like fundamentals-focused business building, and outline the principles of fundamentals-focused business building in my free Bootstrapping course.
One of the most exciting trends in the tech industry currently is Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Developer Ecosystems. Entrepreneurs looking for a capital-efficient strategy should seriously consider bootstrapping by piggybacking on these PaaS players.
This course takes a deep dive into Bootstrapping by Piggybacking on PaaS platforms.
The company that has knocked the ball out of the park with its PaaS strategy is Salesforce. They launched their platform over a decade back, and many substantial companies, and numerous sustainable small businesses, have been built on it.
Veeva, for example, was built this way with a small amount of capital, and today boasts over $1B in revenue and over $20 billion in market cap.
My hypothesis is that of the 200+ SaaS companies that have achieved scale, we would see a set that would break out and become significant PaaS players.
This means the industry would have 20–50 PaaS platforms with serious developer eco-systems and app marketplaces. The PaaS vendors would want to sell the apps developed on their platforms to their customer bases, take 30% in platform commission, and help support robust businesses while scaling themselves exponentially.
Once you go over the methodology of piggybacking on PaaS platforms, consider learning about other bootstrapping techniques.
2. Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later with Sramana Mitra
3. Bootstrapping a Startup with a Paycheck with Sramana Mitra
4. Bootstrapping a Startup with Services with Sramana Mitra
5. How to Bootstrap a Startup to Exit with Sramana Mitra
6. How To Succeed As A Solo Entrepreneur with Sramana Mitra
Though we love bootstrapping, we never rule out funding.
The following set of courses addresses the realities of startup funding at different stages, from Pre-seed to Series A. Use these courses as your guides. Get to know how investors think, so you can speak their language and attain that elusive holy grail of investor-entrepreneur fit.
7. Alternatives to Unicorn Chasing Investors with Sramana Mitra
8. How Pre-Seed Investors Think About Startups with Sramana Mitra
9. How Seed Investors Think About Startups with Sramana Mitra
10. Post-Seed and Pre-Series A Investors on Startups with Sramana Mitra
Here you have it. If you master these essential skills, you’d have an edge over many of your competitors.
If you have any specific questions, come and see me at a 1Mby1M free roundtable.
P.S. We’re looking to partner with community leaders who write blogs, teach and mentor entrepreneurs, and help support startup ecosystems in every corner of the world, no matter how small or how remote. I have written about my own journey building startup ecosystems around the world, and how you can draw from my lessons from the trenches. If you’re interested in partnering with 1Mby1M, please consider joining our ambassador program.
Looking For Some Hands-On Advice?
For entrepreneurs who want to discuss their specific businesses with me, I’m very happy to assess your situation during my free online 1Mby1M Roundtables, held almost every week. You can also check out our free Bootstrapping Course, our Udemy courses, YouTube channel, podcast interviews with VCs and Founders.
