One lesson I learned the hard way as a founder is that investors never like to say “no.” They especially don’t like to say “yes,” but “no” is almost as difficult to get out of them.
Why? Well, because they never want to completely close the door on what could eventually be a massive missed opportunity. Or, if all of a sudden you get Andreessen Horowitz to pony up, they want to be able to change their mind and jump back in.
As a founder, you hear all kinds of answers that appear on the surface to be semi-positive, but deep down are just “no’s” in disguise.
As a service to all of you founders who are out their raising money for the first time, here are some phrases to be aware of:
1. “I’d love to meet, but I’m swamped for the next two months. Send me your deck, and please coordinate a time in late September with .”
2. If at the end of your pitch they ask, “have you considered joining an accelerator?”, close the laptop and walk away.
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