BOOTSTRAPPING VS VENTURE CAPITAL: CHOOSING THE RIGHT PATH (September 2026)
For entrepreneurs trying to turn promising ideas into sustainable businesses, securing external investment can appear to be an obvious marker of progress. Headlines celebrating major funding rounds and rapidly growing startups have strengthened the perception that attracting venture capital is something every ambitious founder should pursue.
The reality is considerably more nuanced. According to Dr Farai Nyika, Academic Programme Leader at the MANCOSA School of Public Administration, entrepreneurs should first determine what kind of business they are building before deciding how it should be financed.
“The first question should not be, ‘How do I raise money?’ It should be, ‘Should I raise money, and what exactly would that money enable the business to achieve?’” says Nyika.
