Most startups can’t raise venture capital because they’re not in the right place. Growth is not a priority, in general. Bootstrapping can be the only option in many cases. If not for ever, then at least during the early stages.
Ben Chestnut, CEO of Mailchimp, had a great tale here. They were flooded with VC offer only once they became large and profitable enough to not need it.
Would people raise more money if they had the opportunity? To invest more in growth, go harder, etc?
Or, would they try less, to be more disciplined and burn less?
Only 19% of those who responded to our survey said they should’ve raised more money.
This is my general experience. Too much capital can lead to a lack of discipline.
Here is a related post: