Finding the RIGHT investors

I recently went through a low point, a crisis of confidence in our startup’s plan, the team, and myself.

Anyone who has been through startups knows that this happens in the seed phase, often multiple times. (As an aside, I am amazed at how few people admit it.  Everyone else seems to be “crushing it.”)

After multiple phone conversations, I had a Board sit-down meeting where I led the board through a number of alternatives. Our seed stage VC was such a voice of calm reason, helping to guide the conversation and helping me to see the big picture.

It struck home with me how lucky I am to have this VC investor and mentor.

While I know he has a duty to look out for his investment, I never felt that he was doing so during this conversation or the follow ups. What I felt was his concern, guidance, and empathy.

So entrepreneurs, do heed the guidance of those who tell you to do your due diligence on your investors- check with other management teams how your investors have acted when things are not going well. It will give you a sense of what support you are likely to get when you go through it.