The Seven Deadly Sins of Fundraising
…and How First-Time Founders Can Avoid Them
Forgive me, founder, for I have sinned!
While I raised 10m EUR as a first-time entrepreneur, I made every mistake in the b̶i̶b̶l̶e̶ book. I didn’t talk to enough investors. I let rounds drag on. I took rejections personally. One unclear legal clause cost us millions when we sold the company years later! You name it.
Now, as an investor, I witness the same sins again and again.
Raising money is a biblical task and mistakes can be deadly. But thou shalt not lose hope! By sharing my Seven Deadly Sins of Fundraising, I hope to bring you one step closer to prosperity in the holy start-up land.
Sloth 🦥
Don’t be lazy.
No one likes half-baked pizza. The same is true with venture capital. Only a sinner would raise money without undivided attention. “Side-project fundraises” litter the cemeteries of start-up land. If you’re fundraising, that’s your first, second, and third priority. Yoda even said, “Do or do not; there is no try.”
Don’t just “talk to a few VCs and see where it leads.” Good fundraises are focused and have a clear timeline. At least one founder should be committed full-time to the project. Don’t…
