Personally, I would always pick bootstrap over VCs after past experiences when I can (there are businesses that simply cannot be started without a lot of cash).

Personally, I would always pick bootstrap over VCs after past experiences when I can (there are businesses that simply cannot be started without a lot of cash). But I don't want to be a billionaire; I want to live comfortably and doing what I like; also, like you say, I don't want the 'go big or go home' attitude; you can get VC money and be gone in 6 months even though bootstrapped you would've ran the same business, but slower, for a decade+. We had VCs in the past and it can take out the fun immediately depending on your taste. They (VCs) simply demand results, fast, so you change from someone who does what they like and believe in, to someone who has to focus on numbers, growth, staffing and presentations (always be raising once you're in!). Even for me as CTO, the VCs we worked with demanded me to be more of a MBA CTO dan a tech CTO; that's not me (I ran companies as ceo/cfo and know the theory well enough; I just find it a waste of life for me personally while there are other people who love that, so why would I?), so I had some words with them over that every meeting. In short; if you don't need to and you don't want this pressure cooker growth, I wouldn't give away % for money; only for people who really benefit your company and are willing to grow slower with you. Definitely not weird at all.