Startup Funding Espresso -- The Challenge of the VC Life

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.


Many people want to work for a VC especially those straight out of college.

Most are not aware of the challenging dynamics that come with the VC life.  Here are a few:

Raising funding -- just like startups, the VC has to raise funds too.  LPs tend to be rear-view-mirror oriented and not focused on the cutting edge of new technologies and markets.

Working with partners -- you rarely make the decisions alone, but rather with the other partners.  Ego and other agendas are often at play.

Getting deals done -- you have to convince others you have a winner on deck and sell it all the way through the process.

Managing the dealflow -- untold numbers of startups want to talk with you and only a small fraction are even meeting your funds criteria.

Dealing with Co-investors -- it’s rare for a fund to take the entire round. There’s usually other investors in the deal.  Who gets how much of the deal and what board seats, are often an issue.

The rollercoaster ride that is the startup life -- things often don’t go well at the portfolio companies and this weighs heavily on the VCs who invested in them.


Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.

Let’s go startup something today.

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