Founders struggling with pipeline often try to sell their product in cold outreach, which fails. The initial goal is not conversion, but learning. Instead, sell the conversation itself by positioning yourself as an interesting person to talk to. This dramatically increases meeting rates.

When a VC reaches out before you're fundraising, don't take the meeting. State that you're busy building and suggest a meeting in a future quarter. This scarcity tactic, or 'negging,' signals confidence and makes your startup more desirable to the investor.

Applying the "weird if it didn't work" framework to fundraising means shifting the narrative. Your goal is to construct a story where the market opportunity is so massive and your team's approach is so compelling that an investor's decision *not* to participate would feel like an obvious miss.

Desperation repels investors. Negreanu advises against front-loading a pitch with an ask. Instead, talk passionately about your project, then explicitly state you're not actively seeking money but are "open to listen." This creates scarcity and shifts the power dynamic, making them want in.

Instead of walking into a pitch unprepared, Reid Hoffman advises founders to use large language models to pre-emptively critique their business idea. Prompting an AI to act as a skeptical VC helps founders anticipate tough questions and strengthen their narrative before meeting real investors.

Early outreach often fails by pitching an unproven value proposition. Instead, founders should use "Founder Magic"—leveraging their unique background, story, or mission to make themselves so interesting that prospects agree to a meeting out of sheer curiosity. The outreach should be product-agnostic and focus on being compelling as a person.

Reframe the pitch meeting from a judgment session to a mutual evaluation. Founders are selecting a partner for 7-10 years and must assess the investor for chemistry and fit, rather than just seeking capital from a position of need.

Early-stage founders often make the mistake of grilling candidates in the first interview. Instead, the entire first hour should be dedicated to selling the company, the vision, and the opportunity. You can't evaluate someone who isn't excited to join your mission yet.

To build immediate trust and demonstrate value, QED partners engage with founders by simulating a board-level conversation from the first meeting. This "pretend I'm your investor" approach showcases their expertise and builds rapport, proving their founder-friendliness rather than just promising it.