Every entrepreneur eventually faces the money question: Do I raise capital or grow organically? This high-energy session explores both sides of the startup finance equation, featuring founders who’ve done it both ways — and lived to tell the tale.

The session is structured as a dynamic comparison of bootstrapping vs. venture capital:

• What are the long-term trade-offs?
• How does funding impact speed, control, and stress?
• What happens when expectations (from VCs or self) aren’t met?

Attendees will hear two keynote talks: one from a founder who built a 7-figure company without raising a dime, and another who raised millions and scaled rapidly with investor backing. Both will share the real numbers, emotional highs and lows, and behind-the-scenes lessons that you rarely hear in podcasts or articles.

There will also be a VC Q&A panel, where investors explain what they look for, how they structure deals, and what founders often misunderstand about venture funding.

Bootstrappers, on the other hand, will share their hacks for staying lean, growing through revenue, and building community-driven brands.

Attendees will receive a “Funding Fit Framework” — a practical worksheet that helps them evaluate which path is better suited to their vision, personality, and business model.

This session is ideal for early-stage founders and decision-makers seeking clarity, not hype, around one of the most important choices in business.