Bad Reputation Investors

Share your experience anonymously with other founders to avoid bad rep VCs and Angels.

Why this database?

There have been numerous cases where founders suffered in silence after dealing with investors who acted unethically or irresponsibly. Too often, bad behavior goes unchecked because entrepreneurs fear retaliation or industry gossip.

Some examples of bad behavior include pulling out of previously agreed deals, abusive liquid pref deals, refusing founders a salary, not being transparent about their investment process, and more.

This website exists to break that silence.

Ycombinator has an internal database of investors, where all their founders can review their investors. We want to create a similar database for all startups.

By sharing real, verified experiences anonymously, we empower all founders to make informed decisions and hold investors accountable. Our goal is to build a safer, more transparent startup ecosystem, one honest review at a time.

When you talk to more established founders, there's a common theme: late-stage investors pull some nasty shit. Once you get past series B you should stop optimizing for investors who can help you and switch to optimizing for ones who won't knife you if things go bad.
— Paul Graham August 26, 2023

There are some stories in startups that need to be called out. If we genuinely want the startup ecosystem to grow, we should first stop treating VC's like VIPs. Met a founder yesterday who said his investor sends their travel and hotel bills every time they come to meet them.…
— Dilip Kumar February 13, 2025

And if you have outstanding investors, please also submit a review! We'll make sure to publish a Wall of Love.

How does it work?

Anonymous

Review your investors without fear of retaliation

Verified

All reviews must provide proof of bad behavior

Give = Earn

Submit a review to unlock the full database for free.

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Help other entrepreneurs by sharing your experience

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You can submit an anonymous review but we want to avoid fake or abusive submissions.

We only accept submissions from founders directly. If you're a VC, startup studio, incubator who's heard of bad behavior, please send this website to the founders you know.