Cataphora - Bootstrapped, Profitable and Proud

"When the tech-bubble burst, the VC on the company’s board left the VC firm, the firm decided not to invest more money, and the company was forced to sell."

Any explanation as to why they were "forced" to sell? This is the weak link in the post. Not many companies are forced to sell in that position (unless they give up more than 50% of their company to their investors, which would be a bad business decision in general). If you really believe in your product/service and your product/service is viable, you can certainly fire everyone, buy out the investor for mere pennies on the dollars, and continue on. I'm guessing that it was more than just the VC investment that brought her to the point of being "forced to sell," but that's just speculation from someone who has been in a similar position.

"For the first year and a half, none of Cataphora’s 13 employees received a paycheck."

Who works for these bozos? Employees, not co-founders.