--- title: "Don’t Scare the Money: 10 Founder Pitfalls That Kill Deals from a VC lawyer’s perspective" description: Discover the top 10 pitfalls Irish founders face when raising funds and learn how to avoid them to secure investment successfully. image: https://blog.corporatecounsel.ie/hubfs/potholes%20vector.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://blog.corporatecounsel.ie/wcc-academy/dont-scare-the-money-10-founder-pitfalls-that-kill-deals-from-a-vc-lawyers-perspective#main-content) ![blue-logo](https://blog.corporatecounsel.ie/hs-fs/hubfs/blue-logo.jpg?width=182&height=54&name=blue-logo.jpg) - [Home](https://www.corporatecounsel.ie/) - [Blog](https://blog.corporatecounsel.ie/wcc-academy/all) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Home](https://www.corporatecounsel.ie/) - [Blog](https://blog.corporatecounsel.ie/wcc-academy/all) [All posts](https://blog.corporatecounsel.ie/wcc-academy/all) July 16, 2025 # Don’t Scare the Money: 10 Founder Pitfalls That Kill Deals from a VC lawyer’s perspective By  [Alan Ryan & Graham Coyne](https://blog.corporatecounsel.ie/wcc-academy/author/alan-ryan-graham-coyne)  ·  4 minute read   Raising money isn’t just about the pitch, pitch deck, luck or timing — it’s about showing you’re ready to build, scale, and exit. But even the best idea can struggle if your investment processes are messy. Based on hundreds of fundraises, we’ve collated the top 10 avoidable pitfalls that we’ve seen trip up Irish founders (and importantly, tips on how to avoid them): **Final thought** Fundraising isn’t just about raising money — it’s about setting the tone for your entire business going forward. Avoiding these mistakes won’t guarantee investment, but they will keep you in the game, looking credible, negotiating from a position of strength, and makes you a founder that investors want to back. 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