Bootstrapping vs. Fundraising in 2025: What Kind of Business Are You Really Building?

Raising capital isn’t a badge of honor—and bootstrapping isn’t a fallback plan. In this piece, I unpack the real tradeoffs between bootstrapping and fundraising in 2025, why the middle path (like seedstrapping) is gaining traction, and how to choose a funding strategy that aligns with the business you actually want to build.