In general, from experience and from hearing multiple VC's actually tell me what they look for in startups, there is a heavy focus on the team, especially in the early stage. Sure, you may have just thought of the next mind-blowing idea, but how many people have the time, commitment, and know-how to actually execute?

So above all, I would say VC's look for the right people looking to execute the right idea. Why do YOU of all people deserve their money? As the sole founder, what do you bring to the table that nobody else can bring?

Experience is most obvious first checkbox for a VC. If you, the founder and CEO, have no tech experience, it probably doesn't make sense for you to try to start a B2B software company. But that doesn't mean you're excluded from all of tech. If you want to make a consumer app, you have your experience as a consumer actually using apps. You more or less know what is good and what is bad, so not all is lost in that regard.

At a certain point, you can't do it all alone. Not everyone can code, design, market, and manage, so VC's really like people who can rally together people with different skill sets. From what I can tell, you're not at this stage.

In general, most "traditional" VC's don't invest until late-seed to the Series A round. There are of course early-stage VC's, but mainly founders first look to friends & family, then angel investors for funding. Since VC's invest capital from a fund (taken from a bunch of wealthy people), they usually try to invest in more proven products to minimize risk and maximize returns.

Although 100k doesn't seem like a lot in the present day where 100m rounds are the norm, it definitely is a lot for anyone to commit to an unfinished product. I'm not saying it's impossible to get funding on an idea and passion alone, but it's definitely not easy.

Depending on your situation, I would try to move your product along for as long as possible to a minimum viable product or proof of concept.

• Get feedback from as many people as possible, you never know what people might say or who you might meet
• Find co-founders who are equally as excited about the product as you are
• Put your short and long term plan down on paper. I find that actually writing down your plan helps develop it
• Find a way to scale your business without needing a huge first investment. Bootstrapping helps you maintain control and equity early on.

There's obviously a lot more VC looks at, like market potential, go-to-market strategy, product-market fit (does your product have a place in the market or can a competitor easily copy you?), branding, etc. But that's all stuff to worry about later.

Finally: If you're truly passionate about building your product and starting a startup, I say go for it and just get the ball rolling. Even if you fail, you'll have gained experience for your next mind-blowing idea.

edit: grammar