As a fairly successful bootstrapper, I'd say that it's more likely that taking money generally leads to a "runway" in that you need to be profitable or raise an

As a fairly successful bootstrapper, I'd say that it's more likely that taking money generally leads to a "runway" in that you need to be profitable or raise another round by the end of that runway. Many don't succeed in either of those efforts because they tend to take on heavy expenses too early, where a bootstrapper is much more thrifty and mindful of cash flow. In the early days of my company, I applied to YCombinator, was a 2x Techstars finalist, and pitched Fred Wilson at USV's office. Rejected by everyone - but honestly, if I'd taken their money I probably would have mismanaged it and brought the company to an early end.