I really want this to be true. I will say that as someone with a corporate job outside the actual startup community, I really miss the days of "Make something people want", and "Ramen profitable" (does anyone even remember ramen profitability anymore?). It really does seem that the community has sold itself out to a process aimed at driving multiround funding toward an acquisition event and that it's lost sight of th…
does anyone even remember ramen profitability anymore? Interesting thought. If the standard mode is now to get VCs and angels to plow cash into your venture, is anybody actually depending on the profits of their venture to eat anymore?
In May, I organized a 100% bootstrapped product conference: http://baconbiz.com. We had 16 speakers, out of a total of 65 people. (All lightning speakers bought their own tickets.) Many traveled for hours to attend.
Why? Who? What happened?
Our trailer: http://cheerful.wistia.com/medias/i8my1fqcyt
Once we get all the conf videos posted, we'll be working on a discussion/community site for product bootstrappers as well, to fill the hole left by the demise of the early HN experience.
In true bootstrap fashion, we ditched the hotel ballroom and held the event in our office. Sponsors just paid for our "after" party (on 1st night, Thursday, instead of Friday, to save costs.) The conf itself was "ramen profitable."