It can be reduced to this: Any business founder who has taken funding, VC or otherwise is automatically disqualified from the title of "self-made" million/bill

It can be reduced to this: Any business founder who has taken funding, VC or otherwise is automatically disqualified from the title of "self-made" million/billionaire regardless should they choose to sell. Period. I think those who have bootstrapped their company with their own money are fine being called self-made.