In this episode of Bootstrapped: The Lighter Side, host Melissa Widner—CEO of Lighter Capital —dives into the powerful strategy of combining non-dilutive funding with venture capital. Discover how founders are using this hybrid approach to fuel growth, strengthen their numbers, and negotiate better VC terms—without giving up ownership or control. Hear real-world examples, learn the pros and cons of different funding paths, and get practical tips to help your SaaS startup scale faster and smarter. Whether you’re just starting out or gearing up for your next round, this episode will help you unlock new options for your company’s success.

In this episode of Bootstrapped: The Lighter Side, host Melissa is joined by Gaurav Bhasin (Managing Director, Allied Advisers) and Colin McNeil (M&A Tech Lead Partner, EY) to discuss one of the most pressing questions for SaaS founders: Is now the right time to sell your company?

Drawing on over 40 years of combined experience, Gaurav and Colin share their perspectives on current SaaS company valuations, the differences between strategic and private equity buyers, and the importance of running a competitive sale process. They offer practical advice on preparing your business for a successful exit, managing inbound interest, and maximizing value through partnerships and preparation. Whether you’re bootstrapped or VC-backed, this episode is packed with actionable insights for founders considering an M&A event.

Founders wishing to learn more can download free resources from Allied Advisers on how to prepare their bootstrapped company for an exit.

From call center to CEO: In this episode of Bootstrapped, The Lighter Side, Steve Monterroso, CEO of ShareVault, shares his journey into tech, lessons on founder-led sales, making the right first sales hire, and scaling culture as a “re-founder.” He also dives into how ShareVault helps companies accelerate M&A, fundraising, and due diligence while staying deal-ready.

In this special episode, Melissa Widner sits down with Marc Verissimo⁠⁠, Chairman of Lighter Capital and former Chief Risk Officer at Silicon Valley Bank, to unpack how tariffs, market turbulence, and a shifting economic landscape may reshape the SaaS world. With Marc's decades of banking and finance expertise, he shares practical insights that SaaS founders will want to know for how to navigate a changing investment climate successfully.

This week on Bootstrapped: The Lighter Side, we celebrate International Women’s Month with a special guest—Kylie Troy-West, Co-Founder and COO of Factor House. Kylie shares her journey as a female founder, from bootstrapping Factor House to leveraging non-dilutive funding for growth. She also discusses the pivotal decision to pursue VC funding to scale operations rapidly in the US and other markets. Tune in for an insightful conversation on funding strategies, entrepreneurship, and the power of resilience.

This week on Bootstrapped: The Lighter Side, we sit down with Scott Sehon, founder of Mod4 Finance—an outsourced accounting and CFO consultancy for B2B tech companies. With over 20 years of experience, Scott offers valuable insights on the role of a CFO in a startup, when founders should consider bringing one on board, and why many opt for a fractional CFO instead of a full-time hire.

In this part two of a two part series of Bootstrapped: The Lighter Side, Patrick Philley, Lighter Capital’s Head of Underwriting, and Tanner Kovacevich, Lighter’s VP of Sales, discuss the hidden costs and hidden risks they frequently see founders miss when taking on debt. Learn how to navigate the intricacies and potential pitfalls of funding a startup with debt from two seasoned experts who have been helping entrepreneurs grow on their terms for nearly a decade.

In this part one of a two part series of Bootstrapped: The Lighter Side, Patrick Philley, Lighter Capital’s Head of Underwriting, and Tanner Kovacevich, Lighter’s VP of Sales, discuss the hidden costs and hidden risks they frequently see founders miss when taking on debt. Learn how to navigate the intricacies and potential pitfalls of funding a startup with debt from two seasoned experts who have been helping entrepreneurs grow on their terms for nearly a decade.

Tony and Jordan Berry, the father-and-son founders of Interloop Data, share their origin story and the rules of the road for managing a startup with a family member. They share insights on how they scaled their startup, found product market fit, built a sales team, and maintained ownership with non-dilutive funding. 

Ken Wilcox, who spent 20 years at Silicon Valley Bank, shares his strategies for making good decisions, hiring, and keeping everyone in the loop. He also discusses highlights from his book, "Leading Through Culture," and why culture trumps strategy. This episode is a Masterclass on leading people and culture, complete with practical advice for first-time CEOs and founders.

Galaxy Semiconductor isn't a new company, but it is a startup. Founded in 1998, Galaxy was bootstrapped for many years before it was acquired by Siemens in 2016. Four years later, Siemens divested the company in a management buyout. Wes Smith (employee #7) was running the small business within Siemens before it became independent again — he naturally took on the role of CEO and led Galaxy into its next phase. In this episode of Bootstrapped, Wes talks about moving upstream into chip manufacturing, funding a new technology stack and getting it to market, the value of a consistent sales process, Rolodexes, and more.

Dave Hersh mostly bootstrapped a small open-source communications project into an IPO-ready SaaS business that you might have heard of called Jive Software. More than a decade later, he's using his expertise to help turn struggling startups around. Dave shares his wisdom that's captured in his new book, "Reignitition: Transforming Stuck Startups into Breakout Winners," a playbook for the growing startups in the middle that don't want to blindly follow VC money. Dave offers tough but effective advice for getting a startup unstuck, including managing layoffs, confronting past decisions, and more.

Rupert Mayer founded his first product company, IPfolio, in 2012. Before making a successful exit and launching a new chapter of his career as an angel investor nearly a decade later, Rupert experienced many ups and downs. As the "Chief of Everything" at IPfolio, he was always hustling. Rupert meticulously managed cash flow, got creative with non-dilutive funding, and learned voraciously from his customers and other SaaS founders. When he pivoted up-market at precisely the right time, the startup's growth took off. Rupert went on to raise his Series A, but the capital didn't quite produce the results he expected. Listen and learn from Rupert Mayer's entrepreneurial journey.

Tracy Davis and Melissa have an engaging conversation on why solving a business problem is crucial for a startup's success. Tracy shares how she uncovered the business problem for Trax Analytics and why their solution is so important for clients. She delves into the importance of asking prospective clients a simple question - “What’s the cost of not doing something?” and how this one question provides a springboard for a sales proposition and solution. She also talks about funding, why she decided venture capital wasn’t suitable for her company, and the importance of being a true leader.

We all have knowledge gaps and blindspots; getting different perspectives often unlocks needed insights. Chris Fellows and Melissa dive into why having a good co-founder and CEO group can uncover insights and help founders succeed. Chris also shares his journey from running a services company to launching Bold Street, a product company. He shares insights on how they found product market fit and the process they used to fund their startup. 

Melissa and Dan Gallancy, CEO/Co-founder of Atakama, have an in-depth conversation on what it takes to start a company. His journey started in finance, exposing him to how others finance and create businesses. He then jumped into Bitcoin in the early days, which turned to filling the need for a multifactor encryption platform. He details how they financed the company, including personal capital, funding from venture capital, equity crowdfunding, and non-dilutive funding from Lighter Capital.

Melissa and the CEO/Co-founder of StoreAutomator, Gokhan Erkavun, have a lively discussion on Gokhan’s experience of getting StoreAutomator off the ground. Gokhan shares where the inspiration came from, his challenges, and the time required to find a market fit. He emphasizes the importance of persistence, curiosity, and a passion for solving customers’ needs.  Plus, he touches on essential topics like managing outsourced teams, building trust, raising funds, and building market fit. 

We are fortunate to call ⁠Marc Verissimo⁠ our Chairman. With over 40 years of banking and finance experience, including serving as Silicon Valley Bank’s Chief Risk Officer, Marc has a unique view of what’s happening in finance and banking. When we last spoke with Marc, he shared insights on the contributing factors to SVB's downfall. Today he reveals what the continued changes in banking will mean to venture capital, venture debt, and the overall impact it may have on startups.   

Melissa and Align's CEO, Doug Walner, dive into a compelling conversation on the significance of fostering a company culture that champions the importance of processes and how to track and streamline them. During their discussion, Doug sheds light on the value of business coaching, distinguishing it from CEO coaching and why CEOs and their executive teams should wholeheartedly embrace this approach. Moreover, Doug provides insights into the construction of Align Technology's growth capital structure, sharing why they blended equity and non-dilutive funding.

Melissa engages with the founders of Ticket Socket, Mark Miller and Kai Blache, to discuss their journey of founding and managing a white-label event ticketing and registration startup.  Mark and Kai share why they started TicketSocket, how they built a company culture that creates happy and dedicated employees, the advantages of tribal thinking and decision-making, and why non-dilutive funding was the right fit for their company, including how revenue-based financing provided the flexibility they needed during the pandemic.