The Great Communications Divide
Over the years of transitioning from an entrepreneur to an investor, I realized there is a great communication divide between entrepreneurs and investors. I was an entrepreneur starting, running, and raising capital for science and tech ventures for 11 years. When I was raising capital, I would hear, "we don't like your valuation." What I did not realize is that really meant, "I don't think you have the right product-market fit to return my capital." In retrospect, after working with investors for the last seven years, it seems obvious! But, that is the type of information investors use to deselect deals that rarely gets conveyed to an entrepreneur, who is left pondering what else he/she could have done to keep an investor engaged. [...]