What matters most for investors? Here's why I agree and disagree with this hierarchy ⬇ Created by Startup Investor David Holm Glad I absolutely agree that the TEAM is the top factor for investors. Especially for early-stage startups. It's why we only invest in founders with skin in the game. I want all our startups to become success stories, so we only invest in bold and trustworthy teams. At the same time, I would argue that the team is NOT the final stage to consider. The team is the foundation of the market, the product, and the context. ✔ A great team can create an innovative product and keep improving it. ✔ A great team can pivot and adjust to the needs of the evolving market. ✔ A great team can understand the right timing, dynamics, and requirements. Investors need to be confident in the founder's ability to stay committed, adaptable, and resilient. All the elements in the pyramid are crucial factors in a startup. But, perhaps, we should use a different model structure. What do you think? #growth #founders #venturecapital #startups #i5invest Who is i5invest: We are a corporate development firm with access to 150K+ top decision-makers in Strategy, Business Development, and M&A. We provide innovative tech founders with insights, expertise, and access to our network to help take their companies to the next level.
I agree the team is the anchor. In recovery work, I often see that even great teams lose alignment once pressure builds. The real differentiator is how quickly a team can reset trust, focus, and rhythm when the original plan stops working.
Yep — seen this a lot: team is everything early, but it won't save you if timing or PMF aren't there. As an angel I've passed great teams for weak signals, and backed scrappy founders who proved themselves with fast pilots and early revenue — that's what turns belief into bets.
Great teams continue innovating as you say. At INCA DIGITAL PRINTERS LIMITED we launched our most successful product after selling the business (if only we’d waited!). Now as Agfa Inkjet Solutions - Cambridge they are still innovating more than 20 years later. The value in this talent and culture is immense.
Johannes Raidl I absolutely agree with you that the visual is reverse for early stage businesses. With scales comes less reliance on individuals and more on structure with the goal of removing the "key person risk". Maybe this is appropriate for the scale-ups?
Intriguing take, Johannes. I see your point about the team being foundational. For me, market validation often feels like the bedrock that keeps the team from crumbling under pressure. Thoughts on that balance?