A common misconception among founders is that raising money will magically solve all their problems. They may believe that their investors will save them from failure, which leads to a lack of critical thinking and preparation for ongoing challenges.

Many founders mistakenly believe their fundraising experience will mirror that of others based on anecdotal evidence, leading to unrealistic expectations about their own fundraising efforts.

Fundraising should not be the primary focus; instead, founders should concentrate on building their product and engaging with users. Money is just a tool to help grow the business, not the end goal.

Founders sometimes mistakenly believe they should sell to startups just because other successful companies did, without understanding the unique challenges involved.

Investors often have different incentives than founders, which can lead to misalignment in priorities.

Founders often mistakenly believe that spending more money will help them achieve product-market fit faster, leading to frustration and distraction from their core objectives.

Many founders mistakenly prioritize investors over customers, thinking they need to please investors to succeed, but the focus should be on solving customer problems instead.

The fundraising landscape is not a uniform market; it's influenced by various factors, and many founders fail to recognize that their situation may differ significantly from others.

Consuming media that focuses on fundraising can lead aspiring founders to feel they need permission from investors to start their companies, which is not true.