Attention entrepreneurs: Before you pitch the next venture capitalist on your list, read this blog post. Better yet, follow @vctips, a new Twitter account that anyone can follow but only a dozen or so VCs can post to.
It's the brainchild of O'Reilly AlphaTech Ventures co-founder Bryce Roberts (pictured) and includes participation from some of the best known tech investors in the world.
Vctips is "a real-time unfiltered look into what's really on the minds of VCs as they're evaluating investments and working with portfolio companies," Roberts tells Tech Confidential.
Here's what they're really thinking:
"Don't tell me you want to pick my brain when you really want to pick my wallet," advises Roberts.
"An e-mailed pdf doesn't turn into a meeting very often," tweets Union Square Ventures co-founder Fred Wilson. "An e-mailed link to a live and useful service often does."
First Round Capital's Rob Hayes is even more pointed: "It's not a positive sign when at the 15th slide I finally need to ask, 'So what does your company actually do?' " - Mary Kathleen Flynn
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Dear Mr. Roberts, Please take no offense to this, but not all of us are out to nab a buck. Some of us legitimately find one on one advise more valuable than money. I can understand being in your position how you may feel the way you do, but please don't let it mislead you into believing that every soul has a price. We may be only a selected few, but it's us few who still stand by a gentleman's(women's) word.
Again I mean no disrespect to you or your accomplishments. I'm simply commenting on the above statement by offering my opinion which I hold very highly.
Thank you-Sincerely-Mrs. Kenny