That said, I do think we learned a tremendous

[zihadhasan019]

Amount and really helped clarify the vision internally and to our existing board members and investors about where this company is going and what our roadmap looks like. We had dozens of smart, analytical, experienced investors reviewing our plans and ideas, and we received a lot of very positive feedback. Nearly everyone we encountered had positive things to say about the business' future, regardless of investment, and I'm glad we were able to be in a situation where we could turn venture funding down.


I have friends here in Seattle and in the Bay russia email list Area who didn't have that luxury - who HAD to get funded, no matter the cost, because their company's future and employees depended on it. That's a burden I don't wish on anyone, and I hope more and more startups are finding ways to live lean and do more with less. So, it's 3:45am and I've been working on this post on and off since before the holidays.




There's so much more I want to add, but I think I'll leave that up to you. If you have questions I can answer, PLEASE post them in the comments and I'll do my best to incorporate that material into the post as it makes sense. Thanks for all the support, kindness and patience - I hope this has been valuable. p.s. In Summer 2011, we once again were seduced by the promise of outside investment and had another not-so-great experience with VC funding you can read here.