You’ve finally landed that investor meeting you’ve been chasing for months. You present your idea, and it happens—they lean forward, they ask engaged questions, they nod enthusiastically. “This is brilliant,” they say. “We love this space.”
Then comes the phrase that kills your momentum: “But we’d like to see more traction first.”
The Catch-22 That’s Breaking Founders
It sounds reasonable on the surface. Investors want proof your business works before they write a check. Fair enough, right?
Except here’s the problem: you need their money to build that traction.
You need capital to hire the team that ships the product faster. You need funding to run the marketing campaigns that acquire customers. You need resources to iterate quickly based on user feedback.
But investors want to see the customers, the growth metrics, the momentum—before they invest.
It’s a circle with no entry point.
The Psychological Toll Nobody Talks About
This isn’t just frustrating—it’s exhausting. You start questioning everything:
• Is my idea actually good, or are they just being polite?
• Am I pitching to the wrong investors?
• Should I bootstrap longer, even though I’m burning out?
• How much traction is “enough” traction?
• Am I wasting time in meetings that will never close?
You watch competitors who somehow raised money with less traction than you have. You see founders on LinkedIn celebrating funding rounds while you’re getting the same “promising, but too early” feedback on repeat.
The worst part? You’re stuck in fundraising mode instead of building mode. Every week spent chasing investors is a week you’re not improving your product, not talking to customers, not actually creating the traction they claim they want to see.
Why “Just Bootstrap It” Isn’t Always the Answer
Some people will tell you to forget investors and bootstrap your way to traction. And sure, that works—for some businesses.
But not every business can bootstrap to meaningful scale. If you’re building in a competitive market, or need significant upfront investment in product development, or require a team from day one, bootstrapping can mean spending years crawling while funded competitors sprint past you.
The reality is: most successful startups needed external capital to reach the traction that attracted more capital. Someone believed in them before the proof was obvious.
The Real Question: How Do You Break the Cycle?
Here’s what most founders don’t realize: the “we need to see traction” response often isn’t about your actual traction—it’s about how you’re positioning your business, which investors you’re targeting, and whether your narrative bridges the gap between where you are and where you’re going.
Breaking through this barrier isn’t about working harder or pitching more investors. It’s about working smarter with a strategy that actually fits your stage, your business model, and the right capital sources for where you are right now.
This is exactly where expert guidance changes everything.
The difference between founders who break through and those who stay stuck often comes down to knowing:
• Which investors actually fund at your stage (most won’t)
• How to frame your story so limited traction becomes proof of potential
• Which funding path matches your business model—VC, angels, or strategic alternatives
• How to create the right traction that attracts the right capital faster
At Stelnet, I’ve helped 300+ entrepreneurs raise over $20M by navigating exactly this challenge. I don’t just tell you to “get more traction”—I build the funding strategy that matches where you actually are and gets you where you need to be.
Whether that’s positioning you for the right VC investors, exploring strategic angel networks, or leveraging alternative funding paths like equity crowdfunding when traditional routes aren’t working I find the capital solution that fits your business.
Ready to Stop Spinning Your Wheels?
If you’re tired of hearing “we love it, but come back later,” it’s time for a different approach.
Choose your next step:
📋 Download the Free $20M Funding Checklist
Get the exact framework I’ve used to help 300+ entrepreneurs secure funding—even without “enough” traction.
✅ Take the Free Crowdfunding Readiness Quiz
Discover if crowdfunding could break your traction catch-22 and fund your next milestone.
💬 Book a 30-Minute Customized Consultation
Get personalized guidance on your specific funding situation. No generic advice—just a real strategy for your business.
Stelnet specializes in funding strategy and investor connections for entrepreneurs at every stage. Whether you’re pre-revenue or scaling fast, I help you raise the capital you need to build the traction investors want to see.
