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- ♞ Investor Signals To Avoid
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Failing Investor Signals
Fundraising is a game of signaling. You’re trying to convince an investor’s Social Brain that you’re a high-status winner, while calming their Survival Brain’s fear of losing money.
But there is a dangerous line between "visionary reframing" and "outright fiction."
Investors talk to hundreds of founders. Their "BS Detectors" are finely tuned. When you use certain startup tropes, you think you’re sounding impressive, but the investor’s Logical Brain is already translating your pitch into the harsh reality.
Today, we’re stripping back the chrome. Here are the 5 most common startup "reframes" and what the person across the table actually hears.
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The Status Signal - When investors see “Forbes 30 under 30” or “ Top 10 startup in X” it doesn’t create the status signal that you think. In reality, it just says that you are prioritizing vanity and PR above building your business.
The Advisory Board - Nobody cares when you say, “We have an advisory board of highly experienced industry professionals”. There are a handful of names that look impressive on an advisory board; the rest are just people that the investor doesn’t know or care about. Don’t over-index the value of those people and rely on their names to get your funding round closed.
Profitability - “We are highly profitable” is not something any early-stage VC wants to hear. It means either (i) you aren’t investing enough in growth, (ii) you are misrepresenting your financials. There really isn’t another option.
Pipeline BS - “We are talking with Fortune 100 clients about purchasing our product”. If you can’t give details about where exactly in the procurement process you are and what it will take to close, don’t say this. They will assume you are bullshitting and that you are really just talking to some low-level workers who will never buy from you.
Community Driven - Don’t say you're community-driven unless you can invite the VC into an active, engaged community on Slack, Discord, etc. If you can’t do that, then they will see right through you.
The most important thing in fundraising is trust; exaggerations can break that trust between you and the investor. Once that happens, there is no longer a deal to be made.
Are you looking to fundraise? Here is how I can help:
📱 Book a Strategy Call to get 1:1 feedback on your pitch, pitch deck and/or fundraising strategy.
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Onwards and Upwards,
