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Will VCs Steal Your Idea After Rejecting You and Sell It to Competitors? It's a common fear among founders: you pitch your startup to a VC, get rejected, and later see a similar idea funded elsewhere. Did they steal your idea? The truth is "it's unlikely, but not impossible". Top-tier VCs care about reputation. Word travels fast in the startup world, and stealing ideas risks long-term trust and deal flow. However, ideas alone aren’t proprietary. Execution, team strength, and timing matter more. Sometimes, similar pitches arrive independently, or VCs already have startups in that space. To protect yourself, share enough to spark interest, not your secret sauce, and ask if they’ve invested in competing companies. If you're worried, use tools like Gemini or other AI assistants to conduct deep research and pre-qualify VCs before pitching, ensuring better alignment and trust. Also it is suggested to patent you unique core value or process of the startup or sign an NDA after the pitch.