I've been thinking about this a lot, too. Is there any startup that inevitably needs early investment? Except for biotech or massive big data startups of course.<p>Because if your product does something new, you can ALWAYS get PR.<p>What I've seen is that with funding, founders don't focus on the essentials anymore. They are not as careful with whom to hire, they don' think as much about what marketing channels to spend money on. However, without funding, you are basically forced to focus on the very core of your startup, every decision needs to be very thoughtful and you will need to understand every process in your startup in-depth.<p>A friend of mine once said, funding should never be a lifeline, - it should be motivated by a fast expansion opportunity.