The top 10 kinds of VCs to avoid
by Mike Butcher
on January 8, 2008

FoundRead has a post called 9 VCs You’re Gonna Want to Avoid (but there are actually 12). It particularly applies to startups who already have revenues, who are now being courted by VCs. It’s an open question, but I’d just like to ask the general UK startup community out there: What do you think would be the UK/European equivalent? Here are some suggestions (inspired by that post) to get you going:

1 ) Mr. Armchair (Lots of opinions about Google)
2 ) Mr. One-Hit-Wonder. (Sold a dotcom in the late 90s. That’s it.)
3 ) Mr. Revisionist Historian (Invested in eBay after it went public)
4 ) Mr Arsehole (Nice one minute, nasty the next. Divorce is a hobby. Fun to get pissed with though).
5 ) Mr. Blue Blood (5th-generation money, smart, but always knows better than you).
6 ) Mr. Mr Aggressive (Wants you to float next week).
7 ) Mr. Product Manager (Micro managing your business – and you – so you don’t have to)
8 ) Mr. Regurgitator (Brings up every case study, just not the one right for your business)
9 ) Mr. Imitator (Read an urban myth about a VC who got 20% of a company)
10 ) Mr. Retired-on-the-Job (Well off, but no longer mentally firing on all cylinders)

Oh, and here’s a bonus:

11) Mr Tranche (Happy to back you this year, but next year… well, let’s see how the first year goes)

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  • http://www.spotlightideas.co.uk Eamon

    This encapsulates it, neatly. Nice post!

  • http://www.e-consultancy.com Chris Lake

    Hilarious Mike, really tickled me : )

    12) Mr Box Ticker (portfolio requires 3 X web 2.0 companies, 2 X vertical social networks, 1 X mobile

    13) Mr Mobile Fucknut (“because there’s an existing payment mechanism! Here’s £18m!”)

    14) Mr Buzzword (no explanation needed)

    15) Mr Not Really A VC (but knows somebody who is!)

    c.

  • http://blog.kitchentwo.com/2008/01/10/if-you-can-count-it-on-two-hands/ If you can count it on two hands… : Kitchen 2.0

    [...] you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!Mike Butcher, over at TechCrunch UK reported a post at FoundRead titled 9 VC’s you’re gonna want to avoid. It’s a funny list [...]

  • mazza

    16.) Miss VC. Doesn’t own penis.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Larry_Chiang/811315726 <fb:name linked="false" useyou="false" uid="811315726">Larry Chiang</fb:name>

    this is effen funny bordering on hi-larry-ass

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