As a VC, I’ve seen this play out often — when passion > money, growth follows.
All In Capital backs founders who are obsessed, the “non‑obvious” type that will build with or without funding, press, or permission.
The shift away from the safe, structured career path means we look for restless founders who can’t not build.
Many fundable founders I have met at pre‑seed are the ones who would keep working on their problem even if I said no.
Paul Graham calls this the motivation of the hobbyist, and at pre‑seed it is the most reliable signal I have.
Some founders pick a market because it looks attractive and then try to build conviction around it.
The ones I back fastest have been tinkering with a specific problem for years and have opinions about details so specific that you realize they have thought about this more than you ever will.
When things break at pre‑seed, the founder chasing a market starts exploring other markets.
The founder obsessed with a problem stays and rebuilds because they cannot imagine working on anything else.
I funded a founder last year who told me he is okay if this takes ten years because he was obsessed with getting the product right, even if it meant growing slower.
I therefore invest quickly in founders who demonstrate long‑term obsession and avoid those whose primary driver is market attractiveness without deep problem immersion.
Grit gets you through a hard week. Obsession is what gets you through a hard decade.
Paul Graham shared something this week from a founder who's run his company since 2011.
"Asked what to tell the new batch, he said the hardest fight is the one inside your own head."
A founder chasing the outcome runs out of fuel, since the reward is years away and the pain is right now.
A founder obsessed with the problem barely notices the same obstacles.
We have a founder in our portfolio who literally collateralised his house (not recommended at all) to run his company, kept at it even when I had given up on him.
Today, he's profitable and growing 20% MoM.
AI can clone your product in a weekend, but it can't copy a founder who won't quit for ten years.