Top-tier investors aren't chasing flawless products—they're hunting for teams with paying customers banging down their doors.

The real signal? Customer pull beats product perfection every single time. That's where conviction actually comes from in early-stage deals.

When founders can show genuine market demand, when users are already pulling the product into their workflows, that's what moves the needle for VC investment. Not the prettiest pitch deck or the most polished prototype.

It's the fundamental difference between pushing something nobody wants versus building something people can't live without.