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Showing posts with label vc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vc. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 10, 2025

The Plateau of Plenty: Why VCs Are the Seers of Our Time



The Plateau of Plenty: Why VCs Are the Seers of Our Time

The venture capital game is not about what exists now. It’s about what could exist tomorrow. It plays out in the foggy frontiers where new products, services, companies, and sometimes even entirely new industries are born. This is not the world of proven revenue models or stable income statements. This is the world of potential. Of “what if.” Of “not yet, but soon.”

And most often, this world is shaped by technology—by advances in AI, robotics, biotech, quantum, and more. These are the tools of transformation. But sometimes, innovation comes from reorganization. From remixing what already exists. McDonald’s didn’t invent the hamburger; it restructured the system. It optimized service. It scaled operational efficiency. Innovation isn’t always inventing—it’s often refining, reimagining, and recontextualizing.

Still, when people say “VC,” they usually mean tech. They mean what’s happening on the bleeding edge. The reason places like San Francisco, Bangalore, or Shenzhen matter is not just the talent or the capital—it’s the concentration of context. It’s easier to grasp the future when everyone around you is building it. You stand on the shoulders of giants, and suddenly, tomorrow isn’t so far away.

But here’s the truth: even when you raise venture capital, you’re not winning the game. You’re buying time. Time to figure it out. Time to build. And unless the thing you’re building has the potential to grow exponentially, you’re probably not playing in the right arena. Venture capital is about scale. If you’re not dreaming in exponents, you’re not dreaming big enough.

Right now, we are standing at the edge of an incredible wave. AI, synthetic biology, decentralized infrastructure, spatial computing—it’s all accelerating. The landscape looks chaotic unless you zoom out. That’s when the fractal patterns begin to emerge. Innovation doesn’t flow linearly; it blooms from the edge cases. It looks small—until it changes everything.

But this wild ride won’t last forever.

All exponential growth curves eventually flatten. The plateau is inevitable. But this isn’t a plateau of failure—it’s the plateau of plenty. The Age of Abundance long foretold in ancient scriptures. The promised land. The world where scarcity is a design flaw we’ve finally overcome.

AI, for all its buzz and complexity, is just another tool. A mental bicycle. A cognitive rocket ship. But tools alone don’t determine right or wrong. That happens at the level of the soul. The next generation of innovation won’t just need engineers—it will need navigators. People with discernment. People who’ve undergone spiritual training as rigorous as a pilot’s or an astronaut’s. To wield the power of AI and exponential tech, we will need a new kind of ethics, rooted in wisdom.

In that sense, the best venture capitalists aren’t just funders—they’re seers. They don’t just see returns. They see realities yet to be born. The greatest among them will already sense the plateau of plenty, even as others are still chasing the curve.

And so, the VC game continues—not just as a financial activity, but as a spiritual exercise in vision. A discipline in foresight. A leap of faith that, one day, we will arrive.



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Saturday, June 07, 2025

Top 25 Objections Early-Stage Tech Startups Commonly Hear

 


Here are the Top 25 objections early-stage tech startups commonly hear from potential investors — along with the best ways to handle them and sample responses you can use to turn objections into interest or even investment:

1. “It’s too early.”

Response:
“We understand it’s early — and that’s where the upside is. Our traction so far proves the potential. Early-stage investment is where valuations are lowest and the leverage is highest.”

2. “I don’t see the market being big enough.”

Response:
“We’ve mapped a $X billion TAM with real unmet needs. Our beachhead is just the starting point — we have a clear roadmap to expand into adjacent markets.”

3. “There’s too much competition.”

Response:
“Competition validates the market. What sets us apart is our differentiated tech/IP/go-to-market strategy/founder expertise — and we’re targeting underserved customer segments.”

4. “You don’t have enough traction.”

Response:
“We’re pre-revenue, but we’ve validated key assumptions through [pilot/POCs/signups/LOIs]. With your support, we can scale faster and build defensible traction.”

5. “I’ve seen this idea before.”

Response:
“Yes, but timing and execution are everything. Look at how many search engines or social networks existed before Google and Facebook. Our execution, team, and timing are what make us unique.”

6. “I’m not familiar with this space.”

Response:
“Fair enough. That’s why we’re here — we’re deeply embedded in this industry. We’d be happy to walk you through how the space is evolving and why we’re positioned to lead.”

7. “I don’t believe your financial projections.”

Response:
“They’re directional, not gospel. But we built them based on bottoms-up assumptions, industry comps, and unit economics. Happy to walk you through the model transparently.”

8. “You haven’t proven product-market fit.”

Response:
“We’ve gotten strong early signals — [X user retention, Y usage rate, Z engagement]. We’re using these signals to iterate quickly and lock in PMF.”

9. “You’re not technical enough / Where’s your technical cofounder?”

Response:
“We’ve built a strong dev team internally and are actively recruiting a CTO-level hire. What we lack in technical depth we make up for in product, vision, and execution speed.”

10. “I’m not convinced you’re the right team.”

Response:
“Fair concern. Let us walk you through how our background specifically prepares us for this — and our advisory network that fills gaps.”

11. “It feels too risky.”

Response:
“That’s the nature of early-stage investing — and it’s also where the returns live. We’re de-risking the business rapidly through validation, traction, and fast iteration.”

12. “You’re pre-revenue.”

Response:
“Yes — but we’re pre-revenue by design. Our current focus is building the right product and onboarding the right users. Monetization is baked into the roadmap.”

13. “Your valuation is too high.”

Response:
“We understand. We based our valuation on comparables and progress to date. That said, we’re open to creative structures — SAFE, discounts, or tranches — to align incentives.”

14. “I already invested in a similar company.”

Response:
“Totally fair. But this market is so large it can support multiple winners. Our approach and go-to-market are meaningfully different — would love your perspective on how we compare.”

15. “What if a big company just builds this?”

Response:
“Execution is key. Big companies are slow, siloed, and often miss new behaviors. Startups win on speed, focus, and customer obsession — just like we are.”

16. “What’s your moat?”

Response:
“Our moat is based on [network effects/data/IP/brand/partnerships]. And we’re building it intentionally from Day 1. Early mover advantage, customer trust, and proprietary systems will deepen it.”

17. “I need to see more before I can commit.”

Response:
“Totally fair. What milestones or signals would you need to see to get to yes? We’d love to keep you updated and re-engage when those are hit.”

18. “This space is too crowded.”

Response:
“It’s crowded because there’s opportunity. Most players look the same — we’re differentiated by [X]. And the market is fragmented and open to disruption.”

19. “This seems like a feature, not a company.”

Response:
“Great companies often start as great features. Look at Dropbox or Calendly. We’ve identified a wedge — and we’re building a product ecosystem around it.”

20. “It’s not a venture-scale opportunity.”

Response:
“We believe it is. We have a clear path to $100M+ in revenue by attacking [problem] with a scalable solution. Our vision is bold and long-term.”

21. “You haven’t tested your pricing yet.”

Response:
“We’re in the process of price testing across segments. Early feedback shows high willingness to pay, and we’re optimizing for value-based pricing.”

22. “Your team is too small.”

Response:
“We’re lean by design — it’s part of our edge. We’ve identified key hires and will deploy funds efficiently to scale the team.”

23. “What if this is just a trend?”

Response:
“We’ve studied the behavior shifts deeply. This isn’t a fad — it’s a fundamental shift. Early trends like this often evolve into large, lasting categories.”

24. “Your roadmap is too ambitious.”

Response:
“We agree it’s ambitious — but ambition is necessary to build something meaningful. We have phased milestones to focus execution while staying aligned with the vision.”

25. “We’re not investing right now / we just closed our fund.”

Response:
“No problem — we’d love to keep the relationship warm. Can we share quarterly updates so we’re top-of-mind when you’re deploying again?”

Final Tips:

  • Never get defensive. Always treat objections as invitations for deeper conversation.

  • Always ask follow-up questions. (“What concerns you most?” or “What would get you more comfortable?”)

  • Track objections. They help refine your pitch and product over time.

Would you like a printable pitch objection/response sheet or a Notion template to track investor objections and responses?



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Monday, June 02, 2025

Questions For Vinod Khosla

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