Seeking advice on long-term ghosting after initial interest from a VC firm
I am coming from a super non-target community college background and currently have no formal finance experience. However, I have a very unique background in Life Sciences. I reached out to a VC President whose firm operates specifically within this niche after seeing her speak on a panel where I really resonated with her views on current funding models.
She responded very positively, acknowledging my unique experience and expressing interest in meeting. She even CC’d the co-founder of the firm—who also has a heavy scientific background—to see if he had time to join our conversation.
However, communication has stalled completely for about 7 months despite several follow-up attempts. Because I am coming from a super non-target background. my options for pursuing other leads are quite limited. Given my background, this interaction could be a major pivot point for my career trajectory.
I have two specific questions for the community:
Has anyone else here experienced this type of long-term ghosting after an initial positive response?
Was I "too slow" to respond initially? She emailed me at 2 PM and I replied at 8 AM the next day. Do you think that impacted her interest?
Based on the most helpful WSO content, here’s what you need to know:
Experiencing Long-Term Ghosting: Ghosting, even after initial positive responses, is unfortunately common in the VC world. As highlighted in WSO threads, VCs often juggle hundreds of conversations simultaneously, and priorities can shift quickly. For example, one VC mentioned their fund talks to 500-750 companies annually but only invests in 5-6 deals. This means many conversations, even promising ones, may not lead to immediate outcomes. Persistence is key, but it’s also important to recognize that ghosting might not be personal—it could simply be a matter of bandwidth or shifting priorities.
Response Timing: Your response time (replying the next morning) is unlikely to have been a dealbreaker. In the VC world, delays of a few hours or even a day are generally acceptable, especially since VCs themselves often take weeks to respond. The issue is more likely related to other factors, such as the firm’s internal priorities or a lack of immediate alignment with your profile.
Actionable Advice:
Follow-Up Strategy: If you haven’t already, send a polite follow-up email. Acknowledge the time that has passed and reiterate your interest in connecting. Keep it concise and professional. For example: > "Dear [VC President], I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to follow up on our previous conversation regarding [specific topic]. I greatly value the opportunity to connect with you and [Co-Founder] given your expertise in [Life Sciences niche]. Please let me know if there’s a convenient time to reconnect. Thank you for your time and consideration."
Leverage Your Unique Background: Highlight your unique Life Sciences expertise in your follow-ups. VCs value differentiated perspectives, and this could set you apart.
Expand Your Network: While waiting for a response, consider reaching out to other professionals in the Life Sciences VC space. Networking broadly can increase your chances of finding opportunities and reduce reliance on a single lead.
Be Persistent but Respectful: As noted in WSO advice, persistence is important, but avoid spamming. If you don’t hear back after a couple of follow-ups, it might be time to move on and revisit the connection later.
Remember, ghosting doesn’t necessarily reflect on your qualifications. Keep pushing forward, and don’t let this experience deter you from pursuing other opportunities.
Sources: My advice on an initial call with a VC, Want to build a startup & raise some money? Part II, Q&A: Venture Capital Co-Founding Partner, https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/venture-capital/pick-you-life-venture-capital?customgpt=1
7 months? I'd give up trying to resurrect this ghost.
What probably happened was that she wanted to be polite and respond to your first instance but ultimately didn't want to actually set up a call. She cc'd her partner to pawn you off onto them, the partner wasn't really interested in speaking with you and your message got lost in the ether. Fast forward a few more follow ups, they forgot who you are completely and assume you're trying to sell them something so they ignore your outreach.
I wouldn't overthink this. You took one swing and whiffed, your first strike. Congrats, now do it 100 more times, each time tweaking your approach, until you get on base.
You need to readjust your perspective since thinking "my options for pursuing other leads are quite limited" is already limiting your opportunity set. Create more options and pursue multiple leads at the same time.
This is sales and you're selling yourself. Do you think the best sales people put all their eggs in one 7 month old basket? Hell no, they're building a pipeline of opportunities and then focusing their time on ones that have the most likelihood of bearing fruit.
Yay, I kind of figured it out over the last few months. I’m omitting a lot of detail here, but there is more context; I just think they are super busy and really lean. This is just to protect myself and the firm.
I’ve been grinding to find other organizations that do something similar in the area they invest in. As of today, I’m in the process of scheduling a meeting with an Upper Middle Market PE firm in the EU.
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