Originally published here.
The venture capital landscape has undergone a fundamental transformation over the past decade. The number of VC funds globally grew nearly fivefold between 2011 and 2021, with capital deployed rising from $61 billion to over $699 billion. This surge in available funding, combined with later-stage investors entering earlier rounds, has created an intensely competitive environment where investors now compete aggressively for the best deals.
In response, many funds have adopted a "platform model," offering founders resources beyond capital — such as operational support, workshops, and specialist services — as a way to differentiate themselves and attract high-quality deal flow.
At the same time, the broader environment has grown considerably more complex. A global pandemic, record funding levels followed by a sharp public market correction, inflation, and geopolitical instability have all raised the stakes for early-stage companies. As a result, founders now expect significantly more from their investors than financial backing alone.
However, the gap between what VCs offer and what founders actually need remains poorly understood. To address this, a survey of over 200 founders was conducted to identify what attributes matter most when selecting an investor — and how those priorities shift based on factors such as geography, gender, and prior experience.
The findings aim to help the venture community build more relevant, founder-centric support rather than investing in services founders do not value.
