A cartoon person with black hair, wearing a white shirt, blue pants, black shoes, and a red and white striped tie, stands on a sandy ground holding a large gold coin with a dollar sign. There are three stacks of gold coins of varying heights next to them, against a background of a light peach sky with white clouds.

THINKING – Sprint 22

How bedrock entrepreneurs fund their startups

The reason for this sprint

Most entrepreneurs are bedrock. While the chances of success are greater and their upside potential is not constrained by going bedrock, funding options are more constrained.

This sprint describes the frugal and risk minimizing mindset required to be the successful bedrock entrepreneur. The sprint also outlines and describes the different funding mechanisms available to bedrock entrepreneurs, including non-profits.

The accompanying article concludes with how to adapt if your idea does not or cannot receive enough funding to be viable.

Sprint exercises

We first ask you to read or listen to “How bedrock entrepreneurs fund their startups.”

For our exercise, please answer for yourself:

  • How much money do you think you will need to launch your startup or non-profit?

  • Document why you think your estimate is accurate. This should include specific evidence to support your estimates.

  • List how much of your investment you expect to get from each of the funding sources described in this sprint.

  • Double the amount you think you’ll need and list how you would accumulate this much investment from the funding sources available to you.