Stop Chasing VCs: Build a Trust Pipeline Instead

How to turn a side project into warm intros, real momentum, and the right money

The first time I tried to raise money, I made the rookie mistake everyone makes: I treated “finding VCs” like a scavenger hunt. I had a product idea, a few people telling me “I’d buy this,” and a growing anxiety that somewhere out there were the right people with the right checks—and I just needed the right path to them.

What I learned, after a few awkward coffee chats and a couple of dead-end intros, is that fundraising is less like hunting and more like building a pipeline. And the pipeline doesn’t start with VCs. It starts with trust and proof.

One quick reality check that will save you time: most institutional VCs don’t want to fund a side project. Not because they’re mean, but because their math depends on focus and speed. If you’re part-time, they assume you’ll be slow, and “slow” kills startups more reliably than bad ideas. So if you’re keeping this as a nights-and-weekends build for a while, your early “capital” is usually one of three things: your own runway, revenue, or a small set of angels who are comfortable betting on you before the story is fully formed.

That doesn’t mean you can’t talk to VCs early. You can. I do it. But I treat those early conversations as practice and relationship-building, not as “I need a term sheet by Friday.”

The question “How do I find the right investors?” is really two questions.

First: what kind of company are you building? Not emotionally—economically. Is this a business that can get to meaningful revenue with a small team and steady growth? Or does it need a lot of capital early because the market is land-grab, the product requires deep R&D, or distribution costs money up front? If it’s the first type, chasing VC too early can push you into bad decisions: hiring before you have clarity, adding features to impress investors instead of customers, and turning a focused side project into a chaotic full-time job.

Second: what stage are you actually in? At idea/early build stage, the “right connection” is rarely a brand-name VC. It’s often an operator-angel who has lived your problem, can introduce your first customers, and will tell you when your pitch is unclear. The first check is as much about signal and help as it is about cash.

Here’s how I’ve approached it when starting from “I have strong feedback and early interest, but this is still taking shape.”