Investors Rejected Them. Now Worth $91 Billion

The psychological impact of investor rejection on startup founders and how some overcome initial setbacks to achieve massive success.

What this short covers

The psychological impact of investor rejection on startup founders and how some overcome initial setbacks to achieve massive success, highlighting resilience in the face of adversity.

Transcript

Hey guys, this is actually pretty wild. Those are the rejection emails that Airbnb got when they were doing the first round of financing. They literally offered 10% in exchange for $150,000. That's it. And here's what's crazy. Every single investor passed and that stake would have been worth today more than $3 billion. So here's the deal. In 2008, Brian Chesy, the co-founder and CEO, pitched 10 VCs. Five of them said no. The rest of them ghosted him. Take a look at it for yourself on the rejection emails. And 16 years later, Airbnb is worth $91 billion. So, here's the brutal reality of fundraising. Even the craziest ideas, the investors will miss them. And rejection is just a filter. It means nothing else. If you're a founder facing rejection, facing nose, you might age just as well as this story. We love to hear what you're up to on the comment section.

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•By Alejandro Cremades