LeVar Burton
LeVar Burton is a legendary star of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and the kids’ show, “Reading Rainbow.” Over the years, Burton has emerged as a steadfast champion of literature and the arts. He has a podcast now called “LeVar Burton Reads” and a company called LeVar Burton Kids.
You can bootstrap your business to scale, but you’ll have to make your own luck. Nobody knows this better than Mailchimp’s Ben Chestnut. He used a DIY ethos to grow a $600M company without ever raising a dollar of outside funding. The Mailchimp story is the exception to Reid’s rule (Generally: Raise more money than you think you need!). The episode explores a range of options for those who don’t fit the VC-funding mold for any set of reasons. Cameo appearances: LeVar Burton (Star Trek, Reading Rainbow, LeVar Burton Reads), Don MacKinnon (Milq), Karen Cahn (iFundWomen).