Why Your Big Vision Might Be Scaring Investors (and What to Do About It)

As founders, we’re taught to think BIG!

"Shoot for the moon", "Disrupt the industry", "Change the world"!

👉 BUT that same big vision can be the very reason investors walk away.

Not because they don’t believe in thinking big - they do.

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Let’s break down why this happens and how to shift the narrative.

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🔍 1. The Vision Sounds Like a Fantasy, Not a Plan

When you lead with a BIG vision you risk sounding disconnected from reality.

Investors: “Great idea, but how do they get there from here?”

They’re not just looking for ambition, they want signs of:

• Focus

• Prioritization

• Execution

• Traction

  If the journey from today to the big vision isn’t clear, if the vision is too big, too “grandiose” and involving too many components, features etc they may assume “This is never gonna happen”.

🛠 What to do instead.
Break your vision down into phases:

• Now: What is that 1 big problem you are solving today and how are you doing it?

• Next: What’s your 12-18 month plan?

Grounding your vision in an operational roadmap makes it more credible, understandable, realistic, and tangible.

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💡 2. You’re Pitching the Dream Before Showing the Foundation

Founders often lead with “We’re going to be the next [unicorn].”

But if your product hasn’t launched, if you don’t have little to no traction yet, or if you’ve pivoted multiple times, the vision comes across as wishful thinking rather than a bold strategy.

Be aware… professional investors have heard 100s of founders promise the unicorn dream.

It doesn’t make them dream anymore…

They want “tangible”.

Investors don’t invest in dreams or visions. They invest in teams who can execute and a clear market already waiting for their solution.

📈 What builds trust:

• Proof of market need

• Traction metrics (users, revenue, community, letters of intent, retention)

• A clear path to validation and scalability

• Tested distribution channels

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🧩 3. Your Vision Is Too Complex or Too Broad

Trying to be everything to everyone - or solving too many problems at once - or building a product that can be multiple different products - can signal lack of focus and experience.

If at an early stage your pitch covers:

• Multiple customer segments

• Different revenue models

• Multiple features and functionalities

• Global expansion from Day 1

…you’re overwhelming rather than inspiring.

Investors look for:

• Focus: Early-stage startups that focus on one clear problem and one specific customer segment tend to have a stronger chance of success.

• Clarity: A simple, well-defined product and business model is easier to understand and evaluate.

• Execution ability: Trying to do too much can indicate the founders might be spreading themselves too thin or lack experience in prioritizing.

• Realistic milestones: Planning global expansion or multiple revenue streams right away can seem overly ambitious or unrealistic without proving product-market fit first.

⚠️ Startups die from indigestion more often than starvation.

Trying to do too much - too soon - is one of the fastest paths to failure.

🎯 Instead, show:

• The main problem your product or service solves

• Your go to market

• A focused customer segment that gives you leverage or revenue

• Traction

Then show how it opens the door to bigger markets, more products, or wider use cases over time.

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🧠 4. You Haven’t Addressed the “How”

A big vision creates excitement, but it also raises questions:

• “How will you get your first 1,000 clients?”

• “How do you build this tech with a small team?”

• “How do you fund operations until revenue kicks in?”

If those answers aren’t baked into your pitch, investors will see a gap between vision and execution.

And gaps = risk.

🧩 Show them:

• A clear step by step go-to-market and monetization plan

Let them walk away thinking, “They’ve thought this through.”

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🏦 5. It’s Not Aligned with Their Fund’s Thesis or Stage

Even the best big visions won’t resonate with every investor, especially if they’re not the right fit for your stage or sector or geography.

A pre-seed fund might not be interested in your 10-year path to IPO. A climate tech investor likely won’t fund a B2B SaaS platform for HR.

Know your audience - know who you are talking to. Check out How to achieve Startup Investor Fit 👇

💬Once you found the “right” investor, make sure your pitch is tailored to them. Speak their language 👇

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🧭 Final Thought

Your big vision isn’t the problem.
How you tell the story - and who you tell it to - is.

Investors love ambition - but they need clarity, traction, and evidence that you can turn your vision into value.

So don’t tone down your dream.

Understand investors, profile them (find your match!) and tailor your vision to resonate with their needs.

Show you’re not just a dreamer - you’re a builder with a map.

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Want help refining your pitch or positioning your big vision for the right investors?
Reply ““feedback session” to this email - I’m available for a few 1:1 pitch feedback sessions over the next few weeks.

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Other relevant past articles 👇

Until next time!

Stay inspired,

Raja Skogland🌱