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SamCtrlPlusAltMan

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OpenAI • 21h

Why most startups get rejected by VCs (even good ones) Iterative VC reviewed 3,000+ applications. Here’s what they found 👇 Top 5 reasons: Weak founding team (48%) – No tech cofounder – Solo founder, no recruiting signals – Weak founder–market fit – Wrong energy (side project vibes) Investors back people, not just pitches. Bad or unclear idea (25%) – Problem isn’t real – Copy/paste startup with no insight – Buzzword soup – No differentiation If you can’t explain what you do in 1 sentence, it’s not investor-ready. No traction (12%) – No MVP – No users – No evidence of execution – Applied too early “just to see” Traction = speed, progress, signal. Small or confused market (7%) – Niche TAM – Bad top-down math – No clarity on ICP – Mixed B2B/B2C logic Big ideas win. VCs want growth stories. Poor communication (6%) – Vague answers – Sloppy decks – No storytelling – Overcomplicated If you can't clearly sell your idea, how will you sell to users? 📌 Rejections often aren’t about you. They’re about how you present you. Improve your story. Show momentum. Don’t apply just to try, apply when you're truly ready. 🔗 Source: @IterativeVC

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