Zibby: Weekly Update - 2026-06-26

I just finished my first accelerator and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about fundraising constantly. Scale. What "being a real company" actually means. All of it. And I kept coming back to the same question: should Zibby raise at all?

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There's more than enough money to be made without outside capital. Bootstrapping is a legit path. You keep full control, you move at your own pace, nobody's asking for a board deck. You answer to your customers, your team, and yourself.

But bootstrapping has its own hard truths:

- Hiring ahead of revenue is basically impossible - Subsidizing a freemium model when every dollar is out of your own pocket? Not happening - Marketing, legal, infrastructure — it adds up fast - The speed you need to compete against incumbents with a head start? Tough to manufacture on nights and weekends

And taking investment isn't a free lunch either:

- Someone else's timeline is now your timeline - Equity and decision-making — you're giving some of both up - The fundraising process itself eats months you should be building - Exit expectations don't always align with a mission-driven company

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I sat with both sides for a while. And I came to a conclusion.

I think there's really only one reason anyone should raise: you believe so deeply in the impact you can make that not having the scale outside investment unlocks feels like malpractice . If you can clear that bar, then all the challenges that come with fundraising aren't just worth it — they're a necessity.

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If you can achieve the impact you're after without outside money, that's awesome. If massive growth isn't in your roadmap and you're building something profitable on your own terms — no judgment . That takes its own kind of discipline. But for Zibby, scale is the mission. Our goal is to become the largest collection and keeper of human stories. That's not something I can do on a shoestring and a prayer. When the time is right, I'm pulling every lever I can to make it happen. I sincerely believe preserving our stories is the first step toward genuine connection . And once we have that — real connection over the stories that actually matter — we can build a happier future.

That's not a pitch. That's just what I believe.

On to the next chapter.