Raising capital from a VC for a real Sure Thing would generally be scamming yourself - it would be cheaper to raise a loan in almost all Sure Thing situations.

Raising capital from a VC for a real Sure Thing would generally be scamming yourself - it would be cheaper to raise a loan in almost all Sure Thing situations. Obviously Bitcoin is a bit different since it's not the kind of real thing you could get a loan for. Anyway, I don't think it's weird at all. Pre-order suckers grant money on much more favorable terms than even a loan, much less a VC. Doubly so if you're scamming them the whole time.