{"id":7593,"date":"2025-08-13T09:32:59","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T09:32:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capvisory.de\/?p=7593"},"modified":"2025-08-13T11:38:47","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T11:38:47","slug":"9-ways-vcs-sabotage-their-own-market-reputation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capvisory.de\/de\/9-ways-vcs-sabotage-their-own-market-reputation\/","title":{"rendered":"9 ways VCs sabotage their own market reputation\u200b"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Capvisory Insights<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Fundraising knowledge<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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9 ways VCs sabotage their own market reputation<\/span><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Capvisory is an independent, founder-led advisory boutique specializing in fundraising, sell-side M&A, and buy-side M&A for fast-growing tech companies and their investors.\n<\/span>
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Julius Kr\u00e4tschmer<\/a><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Gr\u00fcnder und Partner<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Markus Wilk<\/a><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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O<\/span>ver the years of supporting founders in their fundraising journeys, we\u2019ve seen some VCs taking a clear investment process very seriously\u2026 while others leave founders frustrated.<\/span><\/p>\n

With this article, we want to share real experiences we\u2019ve had in fundraising processes. And we want to contribute to a fair code of conduct between founders and VCs, because time is one of the most crucial resources in building companies, and it should be respected on both sides.<\/p>\n

But one step back \u2013 how can VCs really stand out?<\/b> Scroll through 50 VC websites and you\u2019ll start feeling d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu. <\/span>It\u2019s always some variation of:<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cWe invest in exceptional founders building category-defining companies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s fine. It\u2019s also\u2026 everywhere. So through their websites, most VCs can\u2019t stand out. The content, the portfolio grid, the smiling headshots \u2013 they all blur together.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where VCs can actually<\/b><\/em> differentiate is in how they run their investment process.<\/p>\n

A smooth, respectful, well-structured process doesn\u2019t just win the deal, but it also creates positive noise in the founder community. And that noise usually travels fast. Otherwise?…<\/p>\n

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Here are nine examples we\u2019ve repeatedly encountered that have the opposite effect \u2014 they damage a VC\u2019s reputation. We\u2019ve also included some simple alternatives for you, dear VCs, to show how you can do it better:
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1. Rescheduling meetings at short notice<\/b><\/h5>\n

In one process the founder took calls with US VCs on Sunday night. Another call with a European VC was scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on Monday. The founder and I had been up since 6, reshaping the pitch – he wanted to take the call from home. Then comes the email: \u201cSorry, can we push this to next week?\u201d<\/em> The founder\u2019s entire day now upside down.<\/p>\n

DO:<\/span> Send someone anyway. Either someone who can actually understand the pitch, or at least someone who can apologize on your behalf and help reschedule.<\/p>\n

2. Being late \/ not showing up<\/h5>\n

Showing up 15 minutes late might not seem like much. But when you\u2019ve prepared for weeks, every minute counts. Worst case? No-shows without explanation. That\u2019s not just unprofessional – it\u2019s disrespectful.<\/p>\n

DO:<\/span> In case you\u2019re running late – again send someone anyway.<\/p>\n

3. False promises<\/h5>\n

I\u2019ve heard this a dozen times: \u201cYou\u2019re exactly the kind of startup we invest in! We\u2019ll come back to you by the end of the week.\u201d<\/i> Then\u2026 silence. Obviously, the interest wasn\u2019t big enough.<\/p>\n

DO:<\/span> A little honesty upfront can save everyone\u2019s time (and sanity). Keep your promises, even if that means declining a deal.<\/p>\n

4. Processes taking too long<\/h5>\n

Fundraising isn\u2019t a wine that gets better with age. Timing is crucial. When decisions take too long, founders are left in uncertainty and burning runway and missing other opportunities.<\/p>\n

DO:<\/span> Develop and communicate a clear investment process, and meet your milestones just as you would expect from founders. The best VCs I\u2019ve met execute systematically on deals.<\/p>\n

5. No preparation<\/h5>\n

With one B2C software founder I\u2019ve been in a call where the VC obviously opened the deck for the first time during the meeting. After 10 minutes of pitching, the associate interrupted: \u201cSorry, we only invest in B2B companies.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

DO:<\/span> Together with founders, we prepare meticulously for every call by creating specific Notion boards with briefing notes for each investor meeting. This can take hours per investor. Please, VCs – show up prepared or decline.<\/p>\n

6. Incorrect \/ outdated information on the website<\/h5>\n

Together with founders, we do our homework. We screen all potential investors to find the best fit. This includes checking websites, portfolios (and synergies), team members, blog posts, YouTube channels, podcasts, and more. Still, sometimes we hear in intro calls: \u201cWe\u2019re not investing in XYZ anymore.\u201d<\/em> For founders, this signals a lack of care.<\/p>\n

DO:<\/span> Please keep your website updated and remove outdated information from the web.<\/p>\n

7. No dry powder<\/h5>\n

This one\u2019s tricky: In 2023\/2024, we had mandates where 20\u201325% of the VCs taking intro calls were still in fundraising themselves and didn\u2019t flag it in advance. We understand you need to show deal flow to LPs, but for founders, this is extremely time-consuming.<\/p>\n

DO:<\/span> Please flag upfront if you\u2019re still raising your fund and clarify your timeline. Let founders decide if they want to invest the time or not.<\/p>\n

8. “Downgrading” calls to juniors just to “see everything”<\/h5>\n

This happens over and over again: we speak with the Partners on a deal, only to be introduced afterwards to the juniors on the team for another intro call where they often start asking the same questions. In most cases, they then decline the deal.<\/p>\n

If that\u2019s your usual investment process, that\u2019s perfectly fine. But if it\u2019s just a “let\u2019s have the junior see it”<\/em> (training-) call when the fund already knows they\u2019ll decline, it wastes the founder\u2019s time and puts juniors in a difficult spot.<\/p>\n

DO:<\/span> Please clarify if this step is part of your process or simply decline the deal.<\/p>\n

9. Sloppy work<\/h5>\n

One VC once sent a rejection email to a founder, but accidentally CC\u2019d a completely unrelated founder. I know mistakes happen, but\u2026<\/p>\n

DO:<\/span> \u2026please work diligently.<\/p>\n

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Takeaway<\/span><\/p>\n

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Fundraising is hard enough without these avoidable pitfalls.<\/p>\n

VCs who want to stand out for the right<\/em> reasons should treat founders\u2019 time and trust like gold – because, in this game, it is.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

To get more insights directly in your LinkedIn feed, follow <\/span>Julius Kr\u00e4tschmer<\/a> on LinkedIn.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Capvisory is an independent, founder-led advisory boutique specializing in fundraising, sell-side M&A, and buy-side M&A for fast-growing tech companies and their investors.\n<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Julius Kr\u00e4tschmer<\/a><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Gr\u00fcnder und Partner<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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julius@capvisory.de<\/a><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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30 min intro call<\/a><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Markus Wilk<\/a><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Gr\u00fcnder und Partner<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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30 min intro call<\/a><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Over the years of supporting founders in their fundraising journeys, we\u2019ve seen some VCs taking a clear investment process very seriously\u2026 while others leave founders frustrated.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[58],"class_list":["post-7593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english","tag-fundraising-knowledge-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/capvisory.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7593"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/capvisory.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/capvisory.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capvisory.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capvisory.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7593"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/capvisory.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7593\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7634,"href":"https:\/\/capvisory.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7593\/revisions\/7634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/capvisory.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capvisory.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capvisory.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}