Startup Founders Share Horror Stories About Venture Investors

For tech startup founders, seeking investment from venture capitalists (VCs) is a unique challenge. However, this process often ends in unexpected and bizarre situations. This week, a discussion started by Greg Isenberg on the X social network attracted the attention of thousands of users. Isenberg shared how, during a meeting with one of the most prestigious venture firms, a senior partner fell asleep for 30 minutes, yet everyone continued the meeting as if nothing had happened. Techcrunch.com reports .

Interestingly, falling asleep does not always mean rejection. Entrepreneurs like Zynga founder Mark Pincus and First Round Capital partner Liz Wessel revealed that they later received investment offers (term sheets) from investors who had fallen asleep during meetings. Wessel even emphasized that she rejected an offer from an investor who was on the famous "Midas" list at the time, which surprised the venture capitalist.

The discussions mentioned not only sleep-related incidents but also cases of financial misconduct. Some founders wrote about investors backing out of deals at the last minute or disappearing without transferring funds (ghosting). Most surprisingly, some investors continued to demand reports from companies or asked for a share of sales revenue even though they had not invested.

Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick also shared a story about his determination. He recounted how he chased an investor who was trying to leave a meeting, got into their car, and finished his pitch while sitting in the passenger seat. Such stories demonstrate how complex and sometimes absurd the investment environment in Silicon Valley can be.