Carlos Velez has put together a series of posts on the mistakes that entrepreneurs make when seeking capital. Here they are:
- Mistake #1 – Not writing a check
- Mistake #2 – VC is the only path
- Mistake #3 – Taking your time
- Mistake #4 – Learn how to swim before jumping into the pool
- Mistake #5 – Not seeking professional help
People should contact Carlos (per his post here) if they want to get a PDF of the article. Also if you resonate with #2 at all (which you should), you should also see the post at the Entrepreneurial Mind, "There Is Life Beyond Venture Capital".
Update (11/17/05): Carlos has a very nice follow-up post here that sheds more light on #5 with some specific examples in the drug discovery space.
Update (11/17/05): Texas Venture Capital Blog has a post here where some entrepreneurs come clean and admit to making some the exact mistakes that Carlos mentions.