Founders share VC horror stories, and some are naming names
Tech founders have been sharing their horror stories about pitching to venture capitalists, particularly on social media platform X. Many anecdotes highlight VCs falling asleep during meetings, yet some still proceeded to invest afterward. The conversation has sparked both humor and frustration among founders, leading to a broader discussion about VC behavior.
- ▪Greg Isenberg initiated the conversation by sharing his experience of a VC falling asleep during a pitch meeting.
- ▪Zynga founder Mark Pincus and others also recounted similar experiences of VCs dozing off, yet still receiving term sheets.
- ▪Cloudflare founder Matthew Prince revealed a Sequoia partner's bias against a female co-founder, which has drawn significant attention.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Asking venture capitalists for investment is a rite of passage for tech founders. This has led to another universal experience: the VC pitching horror story. A massive conversation sharing such stories has taken place all week on X with the comments both funny and infuriating. We read through them all to find the most interesting ones so you don’t have to. Greg Isenberg, a startup podcaster, newsletter writer, and founder of Late Checkout Studio — a holding company whose previous ventures include a company acquired by WeWork — got the conversation started with a story about a VC falling asleep during a pitch meeting. Isenberg has a large following on X, and his post clearly struck a nerve. “I was once pitching in a board room at a top 3 VC firm for a $15M Series A.
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