JOURNAL ARTICLE

'I had to take 60 meetings': Jeff Bezos says 'the hardest thing I've ever done' was raising the first million dollars of seed capital for Amazon.

  • Published In: Fortune.com, 2026. P. N.PAG 1 of 3

  • Database: Business Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Smith, Dave 3 of 3

Abstract

The article focuses on Jeff Bezos's early challenges in securing seed capital for Amazon, which is now valued at approximately $2.2 trillion. In 1995, Bezos faced significant difficulties in convincing investors to support his vision of selling books online, requiring 60 meetings to secure funding from about 20 investors, despite receiving 40 rejections. He candidly acknowledged that his honesty about the risks of investment may have contributed to the high number of refusals, stating he believed there was a 70% chance investors would lose their money. Bezos emphasized that securing this initial funding was crucial for the survival of Amazon. [Extracted from the article]

Additional Information

  • Source:Fortune.com. 2026/02, pN.PAG
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Computer Science
  • Publication Date:2026
  • Accession Number:191773642
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