Oversubscribed Weekly #6

Tweets worth reading

Okay, we’re cheating a bit with this once, since this tweet is really just a link to Brad’s full post (but don’t worry, it’s short). In the post, Brad flips the concept of a to-do list on its head, suggesting that CEOs also create a “won’t do” list for them and their companies. Could be a good approach for your new years’ resolutions as well!

Big VC firm: “I like this. Go raise a small seed & come back, we’ll lead the A.”

Big seed firm: “We like it. Here’s what you should do: Go raise a small pre-seed & in a few months, we’ll lead your seed.”

— Semil (@semil) 15 de diciembre de 2018

This tweet from Semil Shah cracked me up. It speaks to a bunch of trends in VC:

• Round inflation, and how at the seed and pre-seed stage round names are often just marketing—what’s the difference between a big pre-seed round and a small seed round anyway?
• The tendency of VCs to be slow first movers and fast followers, always eager to jump on board once they see that other people are funding you.
• And most importantly, that it’s never a done deal until the money’s in the bank—no matter how enthusiastic about funding you in the future a VC seems.

It’s worth reading the whole thread that followed this tweet from the legendary Mike Maples. The responses are a good reminder that, while it doesn’t always feel like it, VCs are competing for founders too. When you meet with an investor, you’re not just trying to get them to buy in, you’re also sussing out whether you want to take their investment.

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