I think it falls into a few categories: and you can _feel_ the difference. There is type one: the company just going through the motions because they're just th

I think it falls into a few categories: and you can _feel_ the difference. There is type one: the company just going through the motions because they're just the NPC that feels "oh I now its time to 'do' VC because that's what everyone does" Then another type: some of the deep tech startups full of super smart people, even publishing papers, and are usually backed by one or more major institutions (universities, companies, etc.) you can literally feel the passion pouring out of their employees Then even still there is a third but very rare type: that startup that bootstrapped itself to profitability without any VC at all! (IMO most impressive and difficult)