Don't Let Investors Become Your Customers

In today's Startup Therapy Podcast, Wil and Ryan discuss why you shouldn’t let investors become your customers. When you prioritize investor demands over customer needs in pursuit of additional funding, you risk losing touch with your market's true requirements. This could lead to developing products or services that don't align with customer expectations, potentially resulting in poor adoption and revenue generation. Over time, prioritizing investor preferences over customer feedback could erode customer trust and loyalty, negatively impacting your long-term business sustainability.Sign up for the Startups Newsletterhttps://www.startups.com/newsletterResources:Startup Therapy Podcast https://www.startups.com/beginJoin our Network of Top Founders Check in with us on LinkedIn | Wil Schroter | Ryan RutanWhat to Listen For00:00 Intro01:12 Optimizing for what investors want02:13 Two types of investor feedback03:47 Being in the capital raising business04:53 What happens when you pitch to investors vs. provide to customers06:10 “You’re just as vulnerable at the beginning of fundraising as you are at the end of fundraising…”07:44 The investors don’t matter to the business09:10 Jumping on trend for the money16:37 Investors have a different game that they’re playing18:15 Investor Optics vs. Customer Value22:11 Navigating investor expectations and customer demands