VCs are not the only source of funding. There are many small business programs (USA); there are grants, small business loans, receivable factoring (sell your ac

VCs are not the only source of funding. There are many small business programs (USA); there are grants, small business loans, receivable factoring (sell your accounts receivables for cash now at a discount), and crowd funding platforms. You can also "yes and" this. Invest in the startup, by some investments, etc. Multiple streams of returns that are uncorrelated is the holy grail formula for investing [1]. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu4lHaSh7D4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu4lHaSh7D4