Are you seeking to bootstrap your company instead of taking VC funding?

I have an education company that serves a really specific problem. I tried and failed to raise investment but then decided to stick to bootstrapping because most investors suggested I move away from the specific problem I was focused on in order to access a bigger market. I don't subscribe to an anti-VC policy it just didn't make sense on this occasion. In future if I tackle another problem I'd consider taking VC if it came from the right person and they aligned with my values. I would want to build a profitable, sustainable business as quickly as possible and wouldn't mind about giving up some ownership to do that if it made sense.

I am bootstrapping my startup and I would be happy if the company grows really big without outside funding. That doesn't mean I am not open to investment. At this stage of my startup it is more about building something meaningful for my users before I start getting the feeling that investment will really help me take it to the next level or adds much more value quickly than if I went the bootstrapped way.

Like Abadesi and George I'm currently bootstrapping and do everything to keep doing it. I want to build and grow a healthy company with healthy people working on a specific solution. VC often leads finding a problem for the solution not the other way around. It's like putting makeup on a wound that's still there. I personally can't stand things like hyper-growth, scale at all costs and just creating another bubble that's about to burst. A traditional business like a plumber or mechanic doesn't grow. This doesn't mean, that I'm anti-VC, some industries or products/solutions definitely need a lot of capital as quickly as possible (med-tech, ...) or when time-to-market is just too important for succeeding.