Entrepreneur’s Lament (Part 1)
It's Sunday and in today's lounge article, here's a lighter take on an entrepreneur's struggle to raise funding. Enjoy!
I’m an entrepreneur and have a startup, you know;
Here’s my story, sorry – it’s one of sorrow...
I have this sexy product idea, you see;
But none of these fools are funding me!
I went first to the most dependable source known to me,
My dearest friends and my most loving family.
“Go get a job” – said my dad and mom said “Get a wife”,
And my friends said – “Dude we’re broke, now get a life!”
But who wants a job? And what is life?
Seeing your million dollar idea, slashed with a knife...
So I decided to fight; I would persevere,
Like Steve Jobs – my hero – I would never fear.
Driven by my idol, the great Mahatma ji,
I went on a fast; no food till dad gave money.
On day one, they laughed and made lots of fun,
But two days later, hearts melted and the deal was done.
I registered my company and set up shop,
Even hired a developer and gave him esop.
But times are tough and this is an expensive land,
And there’s only so much you can do with seventy grand.
People told me, I should go see an investing angel,
Who would help me raise some ‘seed’ capital.
But I’m not a farmer, and angels are fiction,
What was I to do, with this strange contradiction?
To the VCs I should go, the realization dawned.
And once again, with new determination spawned,
I researched and e-mailed every fund that I could find,
But none responded, no matter how many times I did remind.
Using my network, I finally got that difficult break,
This fund said, “We’ll meet, but ten minutes is all you can take."
My heart thumping with hope eternal, to the meeting I went,
What happened next, I’ll share in part 2 of this lament...