[dead]
Ask HN: How do I find early stage startups to invest in?
31–32 of 32 posts
Re: Ask HN: How do I find early stage startups to invest in?
#32It's interesting that you don't say what you have to offer an early tech startup other than money. I mention that because the best startups are in a position to get more than money from investors. If all you have is money, you're looking for early startups that are reasonably likely to succeed but don't need more than money.
as an ex-founder and not an investor, I always found this discussion to be disingenuous. everyone claims to be bringing unquantifiable value to the table, and the only investors that actually do are mostly bringing their top-tier name and possibly some support functions coming out of the gate like specialized legal or recruiting. sure, sometimes you get a hire, sales lead, or business partnership .. but you also have…
I agree that almost every startup investor claims to add more than money.
I'm a bit more negative - I think that most investors add less than money, that "help" from most investors is, at best, a waste of time, and all too often actually harmful.
I mostly agree with the idea that advice from most investors is useless. (That said, I do know an entrepreneur who says that some advice from a "not investor" got him into a very lucrative business that didn't need investment during the pandemic instead of flailing around looking for investment.)
However, there are other useful deliverables.