I have recently been interviewing a lot of early-stage investors. Some of those interviews have become (or are becoming) articles.
In looking back at them, I can see how big the differences in priorities are. What will enthusiastically get you a next meeting? What are unrecoverable red flags? It is not there is much variation about what is good and what is bad, but rather about what is most important and what is least important.
As an example, some investors focused on efficient use of capital, some on the ability to fully capture a defined market, and some on founder motivation and back story.
Imagine you were pitching each of them this week. Knowing what they really care about, would you use the same pitch for each one?
In real life, how often do you know which one you are pitching to?
How often do you look for an investor who cares most about what you happen to be strongest in?