The Spectrum of VC Support
The founder-VC relationship is a kind of marriage. So why do so many firms treat support like a quarterly check-in?
A lot of early-stage VCs talk about “support,” but what that means in practice spans a massive spectrum. On one end: the update-only crowd. Quarterly emails, passive board seats, maybe a reflexive LinkedIn like. On the other: real partners who show up in the hard moments, think alongside you, and put their own calendar equity on the line.
Most founders don’t realize how wide that gap is until after the wire hits.
When I launched dot.LA, we built a cross-firm cap table that gave me a front-row seat to how different VCs actually operate after the wire transfer cleared. It was typically a smaller-than-usual check size for the investor, but I got a unique lens on who really showed up. Some just wanted quarterly updates, which were often ghosted. Others made a point of proactively reaching out and offering ideas and support whenever possible.
Now, two years into the investor seat myself, I’ve also seen that spectrum from the inside. And what I’ve learned is that real support looks less like a dashboard review and more like this:
Structured, recurring convos that aren’t just about “how it’s going,” but about where to step in
Hands-on help with recruiting, GTM planning, and downstream fundraising that is systematized but bespoke
A portfolio community where founders solve problems faster because they’re not solving them alone
Systems that scale this support without diluting it: async tools, modular platforms, on-demand experts
And at the core, there’s a mindset: this is a relationship. It’s not “call me if you need me.” It’s “I’m already here.”
If you’re a founder picking a lead, don’t just ask who they’ve backed; ask how they show up.
If you’re a VC, ask whether you’re the kind of partner you’d want in your own corner.
That’s been my north star on the other side of the table: be the VC I wish I’d had — the one I glimpsed in pieces across the best of them.