
David Rakusan·
What VCs Actually Ask in the First 3 Meetings (And What They're Really Testing)
An ex-VC breaks down the questions investors ask across the first three meetings, what each one is really testing, and where most founders lose the deal. Updated September 2026 with H1 2026 AI funding data from the PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor, Carta's 2026 valuation split between AI and non-AI startups, and a new section on what that concentration does to your market answer.