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investments, investors primarily focus on the team and additive business model. Investors whom you may consider for a Series A, or later, do not fund startups without proven products, customers, and technical capabilities already in place. Think of these investors as ‘GROWTH’ investors. Growth is the second of three startup frames; 1) Build 2) Grow 3) Scale.

As with any situation where an individual feels stuck between equal forces, the newbie founder must exercise simple cost-effective approaches to validate his or her early ideas with minimal cash flow.
An early mistake by seed-stage founders is to approach investors before they are ready. For example, validate your business model outside of friends and family or you will burn out with investors and reputational harm.
Every customer and investor after your immediate friends and family is a stranger, and that’s where you build and grow. Get out of your comfort zone and talk to people you DO NOT know, who don’t trust you. (reference: St. Edwards challenge on the Hilltop: Business Model Challenge)
Early-stage founders who seek angel investors must avoid these two mistakes: Premature burnout with strangers and irreparable reputational damage with their new investor network.

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