Stop Chasing The Wrong Investors
Over the last several years helping entrepreneurs raise money, I’ve noticed something that repeats itself almost every day.
It doesn’t matter whether someone is a first-time founder or a seasoned entrepreneur.
It doesn’t matter if they have a strong product, early traction, or a polished pitch deck.
Almost everyone struggles with the same mistake when searching for investors — and this one mistake delays fundraising more than anything else.
I want to talk about it today, because understanding this will save you months of wasted time and frustration.
Let’s get into it.
💡 The #1 Mistake Founders Make
Most founders believe they have an “investor problem.”
But in reality, they have a targeting problem.
Founders spend weeks, sometimes months, pitching investors who were never going to invest in their type of business, not because the business is bad, but because the investor isn’t a match.
Ø Wrong stage.
Ø Wrong sector.
Ø Wrong geography.
Ø Wrong check size.
Ø Wrong thesis.
Ø Or… someone who isn’t even actively investing.
Here’s the hard truth:
You can’t get a “yes” from someone who isn’t capable of writing the check.
Why It Happens
The investor landscape is confusing.
It’s not obvious who is active, who is serious, or who has capital to deploy.
So what do founders do?
Ø They message anyone with “Investor,” “VC,” or “Angel” in their bio.
Ø They pitch people who haven’t invested in years.
Ø They chase impressive titles, not real alignment.
Ø They talk to middlemen or “Instagram VCs” who can’t actually invest.
Ø They rely on networking luck instead of strategy.
And then they wonder why nothing moves forward.
It’s not incompetence.
It’s lack of clarity.
No one teaches founders how to identify real investors or how to filter the wrong ones out.
The Real Problem Isn't “I Can’t Find Investors”
The real problem is: “I’m speaking to investors who are not aligned with me.”
And until that changes, nothing else will work:
Not your pitch deck.
Not your messaging.
Not your follow-up.
Not your warm introductions.
Fundraising becomes dramatically easier the moment you stop chasing everyone
…and start talking only to the right investors.
What Investor–Founder Fit Actually Looks Like
Without giving away the full framework, here’s what alignment really means:
An investor should match your:
Sector
Stage
Geography
Check size
Investment thesis
Activity level
Decision-making authority
If even one of these is off, the investor simply cannot say yes.
It’s not personal.
It’s structural.
What Happens When You Fix This
When you shift from “more outreach” to “aligned outreach,” everything changes:
Replies increases
Meetings increase.
Momentum increases.
Confidence increases.
You stop chasing.
You start choosing.
That shift alone can move a founder from months of stagnation to real investor conversations.
📌 Want the step-by-step system?
I teach the full process, including how to:
Build a real investor list
Validate investors
Avoid fake or inactive investors
Filter out the wrong ones
Approach the right ones the right way
Use proven professional outreach templates
Track your pipeline
Increase meetings and replies
…inside my course: How to Find Real Investors.
If fundraising feels confusing or overwhelming, having a structured method makes all the difference.
👉 Ready to fix this mistake and start finding real investors? Get the course here:
https://hub.nykacademy.com/courses/offers/8d560d34-9614-4f4c-9102-48ca4d1980c2
I’m exploring this topic more deeply in the episode of the Now You Know with Maria Mollen Podcast, where I share how I personally use AI in my business. Find the link below: