Founder of Angel Squad | I teach professionals how to invest in startups with help from seasoned VC investors | Investor & Advisor
I recently heard a founder say: "My angel investor gave me advice that made sense for their industry, not mine. It ended up being more of a distraction than a help." Ouch. 😬 It got me thinking—how often do angel investors provide advice or support without fully understanding the founder’s specific challenges? The reality: Many angels want to help, but they: ➡️ Lack deep knowledge of the founder’s market or product. ➡️ Push strategies that worked in their career, even if they don’t fit the founder’s journey. ➡️ Set unrealistic expectations around growth or fundraising. This isn’t to criticize—it’s just that being a truly helpful angel requires more than money. It means listening, learning, and adapting your support to what the founder actually needs. My unsolicited advice: The best angel investors act as guides, not bosses. They’re there to support founders, not impose their own playbook.
This might be a hot take, but these relationships (like any relationship woth nurturing) are highly complex. Because every person sees problems through a different lens and lived experiences, they may not always agree on the best course of action. That doesn’t, however, mean one is right and one is wrong. In my experience, these relationships works best when there is a high degree of mutual respect and everyone approaches problem solving with an open mind and assuming the best intentions. The quote from your post sounds a lot like a teenager saying their parents don’t know anything only to become parents one day and come to the realization that all their parents ever wanted was to help them become successful and good human beings.
Discernment, filter and focus is critical for founders. Everyone has advice, but does their advice from a large company have anything to do with your startup? Founders need to realize they can say "Hey, I thought about this, and it's not a priority for us right now." And move on.
For me, the key message to repeat angels (and founders) is to always adopt a beginners mind ….
I accept angel investment from great people, and if they give advice, I'll analyze it fully. But it's rare that someone knows more about my industry than I do. That includes top people at Google/Facebook
This sounds like a problem that might extend beyond just angel investors.
The problem is that for the first time founder it may take time to understand that they’re no necessarily getting the right advice
This happened with my first startup. I regret taking that advice and wonder if it wouldn't have failed had I not taken it. Brian Nichols
you only had one job - $
Everyone wants to help, its a founders job to know whats useful, whats not and articulate why.
Founder at Divergently: Closing the support gap for late dx neurodivergent women. | Writes, "Build Like An Artist," a personal Substack on entrepreneurship as craft.
3dContext is SO critical! I think founders need to be more open to sharing sometimes too, and asking lots of questions to better understand the WHY behind the advice. I am working on doing this myself and it takes practice but does make a difference. Angels are usually eager to help, but they can’t do it well unless they really understand what you need!