How to read into investor rejections

​A "no" is rarely just a no.

​Most founders take rejections at face value — and miss the signal hidden inside them. The way an investor says no, when they say it, and what they say after tells you more about your fundraise than most feedback ever will. In this session, two experienced investors break down how to decode rejections and what to do with them.

​In this session, we focus on the two most important questions founders are trying to answer:

• ​The Signal — What are investors actually communicating when they pass, and how do you extract useful information from a rejection?

• ​The Response — How do you use rejection data to sharpen your pitch, improve your targeting, and turn a no into a future yes?

​The session will leave time for a brief Q&A at the end to make the discussion interactive. The event is most useful for founders currently in a fundraising process or preparing to go out.

​Speakers:

​Charles Hudson — Managing Partner & Founder, Precursor Ventures Charles has backed 175+ companies across five funds, recently closing a $66M Fund V, making Precursor one of the most active pre-seed firms in the US. He brings rare clarity on what investors are actually thinking when they pass — and what founders rarely hear directly.

​Matt Thoms — Co-Founder & General Partner, Baukunst Matt co-founded Baukunst, a $100M pre-seed fund and collective of creative technologists backing founders at the frontiers of technology and design. With nine years as a first-round lead investor and 100+ pre-seed companies backed, he brings a sharp perspective on what separates fundable companies from the rest — and what founders can do differently when they hear no.

Our Background:

​Backed by a16z and YCombinator, Metal is an AI-powered operating system for fundraising that brings intelligence to core workflows.