Funding is one of the biggest challenges facing startups and entrepreneurs. In this episode, serial entrepreneur Matt Watson shares his advice on bootstrapping vs raising venture capital based on his experience building and selling multiple companies.Matt explains how he bootstrapped his first company VinSolutions to $35 million in revenue before selling it for $150 million. He discusses the pros and cons of bootstrapping and when it makes sense to seek outside funding.Matt also shares what VCs look for in potential investments, how to know if your business is “investable,” and how much equity you may need to give up. He advises first-time founders to consider having a co-founder when starting out.Some of the key topics covered include:- Bootstrapping successfully vs raising VC money- Validating your business before fundraising- How much of your company you may need to give up- Ideal criteria for venture capital investments- Advice for technical founders who want to become CTOs- Transitioning from coder to manager as your startup grows- How to scale your startup and build a profitable businessIf you’re an entrepreneur trying to figure out how to fund your early-stage startup, this episode is full of practical insights from someone who has built companies with and without external funding. Matt shares hard-earned lessons from his 20+ years of startup experience.? CONNECT WITH MATT ? Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattwatsonkc/? CONNECT WITH MUDASSIR ? YouTube Channel -  @prodcircleHQ    ? Twitter - https://twitter.com/ProdcircleHQ? Instagram - https://instagram.com/prodcirclehq? Website - https://prodcircle.com/? Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mudassir-mustafa/?SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPTVisit the website for the transcript and highlights from the conversation - https://prodcircle.com/podcasts/? LISTEN FOR FREE Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/prodcricle-with-mudassir-mustafa/id1688602416Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7MKODYGDeiWP4Y5xUpih31?si=7ce29a73d8724ac2Google Podcast  - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8yMTg5ODA4LnJzcwRSS - https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2189808.rss? LEAVE A REVIEW If you enjoyed listening to the podcast, we'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts to help others discover the show :) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/prodcricle-with-mudassir-mustafa/id1688602416?? GET IN TOUCH You can also Tweet @prodcirclehq with any feedback, ideas, or thoughts about the lessons you've learned from the episodes and we can thank you personally for tuning in ?Connect with Mudassir ? YouTube Channel - @prodcircleHQ ? Twitter - https://twitter.com/ProdcircleHQ? Instagram - https://instagram.com/prodcirclehq? Website - https://prodcircle.com/? Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mudassir-mustafa/