2025 Mentor Captains: Aaron Harmon

Let’s hear from #VM25 Mentor Captain, Aaron Harmon! We are so happy to have had him on the team. Here’s some insight he had for us:

❓”When you start working with a new company, what’s the first thing you look for or fix in their pitch?”
🎤 One of the first pitch fixes I’ve helped many clients with is removing any promises about the kind of return investors can expect. Investing in a startup is risky, and it’s very difficult to predict returns with any certainty. Making promises about specific returns can get a company in trouble down the road if things don’t pan out.

❓”What’s one thing you wish more founders understood about investors?”
🎤 Investors often bring more to the table than just money, for better or worse. Some investors are also great advisors. Some are able to open doors that the founders might not be able to open alone. Some investors are passive. Some investors can be difficult to have as investors. There are lots of factors that founders can look at to predict what a particular investor will bring to the table besides money, but as a rule of thumb it’s ideal to work with investors who understand and regularly invest in the venture space.

Thanks for all of your hard work and for sharing, Aaron! 💯