"So, what are your childhood traumas? Because I can’t invest in you unless I know what they are."
— An investor, 10 minutes into our intro call.
And a few other entertaining quotes I heard while #fundraising for my startup, TMA, The Hazardous Goods Companion✨
During my fundraising journey, I’ve gone through almost a hundred meetings, most often with great and thoughtful #investors.
I've also heard a fair share of surprising and offensive comments, from investors questioning my personal life to dismissing industry data, with some of these great gems:
"Mmh… no, I don’t believe 300 million gas cylinders get lost every year."
— An investor questioning data sourced from 20 industry leaders.
"You’re a sweet, intelligent girl. It would be nice to get to know you better."
— A EU grant consultant with interests beyond my business, after our 1st call.
"Why don’t you just ask the CFO of TotalEnergies?"
— An investor who has never tried to reach out to the CFO of TotalEnergies.
"We don’t invest in startups focused on decarbonizing the oil & gas industry."
— Literally every hashtag#Cleantech fund investor.
"You missed one [out of 35] workshop feedback forms. Remember, I can decide not to renew your grant for this."
— A grant manager focused more on admin than the achieved KPIs for grant renewal.
"Following your requested changes to our term sheet, we decided we no longer want to invest in you."
— An investor who wanted veto rights on my future Series A.
As founders with short runways, it often feels like we have too little power to stand up for ourselves.
And don’t get me wrong—most investors I spoke with were great, thoughtful, and smart, whether or not we moved forward with a hashtag#deal.
As founders, we take on immense risks, pressure, and stress to build something meaningful. Investors also heavily rely on our commitment, confidence, and mental health to reach their objectives. So what would be effective ways for founders and investors to support each other?
If you are struggling with your fundraising, reach out and see how we can help!