Rajesh Yabaji

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I was humbled by the response to my recent post on why founders should diligence VCs. Clearly, this is a conversation many people feel strongly about. Several founders asked me a natural follow-up: what exactly should founders be looking for in VCs? In my experience, a few questions matter far more than others. 1) Does the VC bring genuine value in the boardroom, or do they simply create noise? 2) Who is the individual on the board? Yes, the fund’s brand matters. But in most cases, it's that particular person that makes the difference. Has this person taken the pain to understand your business? Does this person have their own standing in the venture firm? 3) What expertise and perspective do they offer that can help the company navigate growth? 4) When things get tough, how do they behave? Do they act first in the company’s interest, or the fund’s? 5) And finally, is there an alignment between the founder’s ambition and the investor’s expectations? The best way to uncover this is by speaking directly with other founders the VC has backed, across both successful and difficult journeys. Over time, consistent patterns of behavior emerge. Just as investors diligence founders, founders should feel equally empowered to diligence their investors. At its core, this is a long-term relationship…one that works best when built on trust, alignment, and mutual respect.