[strebel]

We are based in Arizona and bootstrapped. I have made this analogy in the past: "Arizona company's have to be hearty like a cactus with a 'real business' built on a sound model to cope with scarcity of resources. SV based funded companies are as plentiful as spring flowers are here in the desert but rarely make it through the summer heat"

Silly okay.. but I think it speaks to the culture. No one I know here in Arizona includes "after our series A" in their plans. A higher valuation seems to be the end goal for most startups in the Valley, and dramatically alters the way they do things.

Personally I would dread trying to outrun the burn rate funded companies operate under as 99% of them have no revenue or not enough to turn a profit.

We are forced to build a 'boring' business that can sustain itself from nearly day 1, which leads to a different culture entirely. We solve the revenue equation first, which makes things easier and less stressful in the long run. My 2 cents and YMMV