Apparently, he was introduced to some startups from the Summer 2014 cohort but was rude/unprofessional with each one. One of the founders said everybody else (outside Techstars) he asked about the VC/firm had also nothing good to say about them. I'd like to know who to avoid. He blogged about it here:
https://medium.com/adventures-in-consumer-technology/dear-vcs-please-dont-be-assholes-23b4bd39244e
I'm curious too... Any insights?
The VC supposedly stopped replying to follow up emails and was late and cut short meetings. If you get all pissed off about that I think entrepreneurship is not your cup of tea.
There are worse things an investor can do other than email etiquette and meeting tardiness.
Sorry, being able to take it on the chin has little to do with basic decency (or lack thereof, in this case).
If this is a forum for fellow founders to help one another, one of the ways to do that is to help one another identify potholes.
+1
All I'm saying is this is not a pothole. The VCS isn't interested. If you want to pursue it fine. But it's a sign he's not interested
When you meet a potential customer and he stops replying to your calls do you hang out on hacker news and "out" the customer for being rude?
Dude probably has a ton of folks emailing him and you should just get the hint.
It was not like he made a racist or sexist or even an elitist comment or anything.
It's clear that the guy writing on medium has never sold a thing in his life, oh boo hoo he didn't reply to your followup emails - keep pounding him every week and if it pops it pops, if it doesn't you should have more irons in the fire. Don't take it personally.
VCs aren't in the business to help entrepreneurs no matter what they claim. They are in the business to maximize profit. Sometimes their goals are in line with the entrepreneur sometimes not. Nice VCs aren't the ones who are successful.
I bet behind the scenes many of the blogger VCs are assholes. But if their investment succeeds the founders take the rudeness as a cost of doing business.
If you want a buddy or shrink go to a bar.
5
meant + 5
Meh, that whole article is whiney shite.
Wait till you've pitched a VC, the rest of the partners and their mothers, 5 meetings later and verbal yes's only to be turned down. I'm not sure the samaritans will know how to deal with you.
VCs are under no obligation to reply to your emails, any more than you are to reply to someone asking for your product for free.
Get over it (blog poster) and move on.
I've noticed that (in Britain), some ppl don't like to say 'no'. And it's a bit annoying. I'd much rather ppl just be upfront rather than go silent.
Is it bc they think they'll hurt my feelings? (pretty sure I lost that within 6 mo of being a founder)
What a fucking N00B. Seriously- Horrible VCs do things like oust you from your company after you make it big, give you a termsheet with a no-shop and then back out after you turn down other investments, or kill future rounds by being so fucking demanding in their deal terms that future investor don't want to follow (like anti-dilution)
This VC was just busy and not that interested in the companies... it is on the otherside of the universe from how dark and terrible a VC can be
Precisely. Those VCs should be named & ousted, no? Else, there will just be more ppl getting screwed.
Just because something is commonplace doesn't make it right.
++1