AT THE INVESTMENT firm I started five years ago, Unorthodox Ventures, we see a constant stream of founders asking for funding. Unfortunately, some of them leave us feeling like we've just sat through some bizarre theater of the absurd production.
Absurdist plays—Waiting for Godot is a famous example—explore reality versus illusion. They ask whether existence has meaning, and they leave you questioning where truth can be found, if anywhere.
In other words, they're a lot like many investor decks, where founders’ assurances of imminent hockey-stick growth leave the audience wondering where the truth really lies, and what is the point— if there is one—in these swaggering presentations.
If only founders would realize, among other things, that it's ridiculous to claim your total addressable market is potentially everyone on earth—unless maybe your product is clean air. That it's crazy to say your sales are going to jump from $3 million to