No VC wants to become famous as the VC who said no to the next unicorn. That's another reason they don't explicitly say no. A 'no' is not a judgment on your who

No VC wants to become famous as the VC who said no to the next unicorn. That's another reason they don't explicitly say no. A 'no' is not a judgment on your whole existence, and it's mostly not personal. It's a judgment on your current state. But most people don't say it that way. They go all "See mom you didn't believe in me but I told you I'd become something". Well your mom didn't believe in you because you were smoking pot and failing all your classes when you were 16 and had half a foot in prison. Good for you if you managed to turn your life around but don't blame mom for her lack of confidence.