The capital access platform connecting early-stage founders, angel investors, and service providers to increase economic growth and innovation.

Hi there,

"I'm pitching like my rent depends on it, because it does. But I'm told I'm 'too early.'"

That line clearly struck a chord when I shared it on LinkedIn this month. It resonated enough to go a bit viral, so maybe you saw it. This is why I’m going to post it in full here and then share some insights and learnings below.

—

The advice to “bootstrap” or “get traction” before raising sounds reasonable, unless you’re already running lean, supporting a family, don’t have a financial safety net, or otherwise require capital to execute a successful business plan that will generate investor profit.

“Too early” gets used a lot by people with buffers many founders don’t have. But early-stage investing is supposed to be just that - early. The potential for high reward comes from taking high risk. If you're waiting for someone to fully de-risk it without capital, they won’t need your money by the time you’re ready to write the check.

The cost of that label isn’t just delayed funding. It’s burnout. It’s missed windows. It's forgone wealth generation. It's lost progress. It’s walking away from something with real potential, not because it didn’t work, but because it couldn’t survive without capital.

Let’s just say it. “Too early” often means “not de-risked enough for me personally.” That’s not about you as a founder. That’s about the system.

Founders: pitch a wide variety of investors and pay attention to the profile of the people telling you you're too early.

Investors: if it's not a fit, say that. If it's not a priority, say that. Just like you're tired of the word disruption, founders are tired of hearing too early.

Let’s do better. Founders deserve transparency. Investors need better language. And we all benefit when promising ideas get a fair shot.

—

Based on the comments, reposts, and DMs that followed, I know it struck a nerve.

Founders wrote back saying they felt seen. That the phrase “too early” haunts their pitch process. That they’re told to prove traction without the capital that would make traction possible.

One founder commented, “I always say they want to see the movie before they fund the trailer.” That’s exactly what this feels like.

Investors responded too. Some hadn’t realized how demoralizing “too early” can feel when you’re pitching from a place of financial urgency. Others admitted they’ve used it as a polite out when what they really meant was “not a fit for us right now” or “we’re focused elsewhere.” In most of these cases, “too early” has nothing to do with the founder. It has everything to do with a system designed to favor those with time, capital, and connections to spare.

At Scroobious, we know this. We see it daily. We’re actively building a platform to change it by connecting under-networked founders with aligned investors who understand what early actually means, and who are willing to back big potential before it’s been made “safe.”

If you’re a founder hearing “too early” on repeat, I see you. I want you to know you’re just not in front of the right people yet. We’re here to help with that.

Have a great weekend!

Agents of Change 2025

Agents of Change is a half-day, no-charge summit that brings women and non-binary founders together with willing supporters in the local community. Through problem-solving discussions and actionable networking, this event fosters collaboration and innovation across Boston’s startup ecosystem and beyond.

5/7, 9:30am-12pm ET, Boston, MA

Every quarter, the Breva Thrive Grant awards a $5k grant to an entrepreneur who is having a positive impact in an underrepresented community.

Applications due 4/30

The AI Illumination Grant is a program designed to educate Black-owned businesses on how AI can be a game-changing tool for growth and innovation. Two applicants will win a share of a $35,000 total grant pool to supercharge their businesses. 

Applications due 5/2

The UNICEF Venture Fund is providing $100K to startups developing cutting-edge tech solutions improving access to quality health care and services, and ensuring socio-economic participation of women and girls.

Application due 5/8

Galaxy of Stars supports entrepreneurs, including minority and women-owned businesses, and is partnering up with Skip for a $5k grant. 

Application due 5/23

Yousof is the CEO & Co-Founder of DeepCharge, a technology startup reshaping the world of energy through innovative wireless charging solutions and artificial intelligence. They offer a comprehensive solution for wireless charging, storage, monitoring, management, and updates of enterprise devices, predicting potential issues before they occur and boosting operational efficiency, productivity, and safety.

"Coming to the US for academic research, I was driven by an immigrant's passion to create real-world impact where technology meets tangible needs. My work on wireless charging and systems at Northeastern University evolved significantly when customer conversations revealed the true pain point wasn't just charging convenience, but critical device downtime that halts operations. Founding DeepCharge allowed me to pursue my passion for innovation by solving this crucial operational challenge for industries that power our daily lives."

- Yousof

• Chrystal Graves, Founder & CEO of LiQUiD, won the Pipeline Entrepreneurial Fellowship Pitch competition and went live with LiQUiD 2.0 to their beta community.
• Adaptive Reader, founded by Ethan Pierce, is a finalist in the Harvard President’s Innovation Challenge and was named to the 2025 HolonIQ North America EdTech 200.
• Preloved Guru, founded by Cecilia Hermawan, took home the Hack for Innovation award at a 2-day hackathon and was featured in a WBZ | CBS Boston interview.
• UNICORN in every stall, co-founded by Denielle Finkelstein, received an award from Enterprising Women.
• Innocuous AI, co-founded by Regina Jaslow, won 3rd place at the Startup302 FinTech Pitch Competition 2025.
• Kura, co-founded by Stéphanie Joseph, is a finalist in Harvard's President’s Innovation Challenge.
• Erin Dawicki, Co-Founder & CEO of LymeAlert, pitched and won at the MIT Female Founders Pitch Competition in NYC. 
• Elizabeth Tikoyan, Founder of Healp, was selected as a Founder Fellow with Chloe Capital. 
• Elcove, co-founded by Anastacia Yefimenko, is officially in retail after 2 years of selling e-commerce. 
• Mother of Fact (NurtureTalk Inc.), founded by Emily Sylvester, has been selected as a finalist in the American Telemedicine Association – NEXUS 2025 Innovators Challenge.
• Founder Daniel Smith launched Keepingly, a trusted platform for homeowners to manage, maintain, pay, and keep records of all their home services and expenses.
• Founder Sylena Urbanoski announced their fundraising for their seed round for PFM Solutions, an AI-powered app that provides the expertise of a full-scale operations team, delivering actionable insights to identify and resolve risks and opportunities in finance, supply chain, distribution, procurement, and more.
• Dtocs LLC, founded by Pallavi Pande, is now officially a People and Planet First certified brand.
• FemiSpace, founded by Marina Vieva, is part of ElevateA, a virtual Pre-Accelerator program, in collaboration with National ACE and supported by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA).
• Coastal Protection Solutions, founded by Alex Berkowitz, won 2nd place for the MassChallenge/'Quin Social Impact Prize at MassChallenge's Resolve.
• MomSub, founded by Diane Moca, won the first round of the Pitch Madness competition on This Week in Startups.
• Maeve Wang, Co-Founder of IAMBIC, has been selected for UBS Project Female Founder. 
• Founder Jossy Onwude launched Meto, an insurance‑first, provider‑powered platform tackling the metabolic health crisis head-on.

• Sip Herbals, founded by Orleatha Smith, launched their kickstarter for their newest Sip — a shelf-stable, protein + fiber vegan creamer.

Did a friend forward this to you? Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the know!

The email was sent to pip@scroobious.com. To no longer receive these emails, unsubscribe here. View in browser.

Copyright © 2025 Scroobious, Inc. All rights reserved.