ButcherBox CEO says VC pressure can push founders to ignore needed pivots

What was said

"So what they don't talk about is the, you know, the phone calls where um if you guys don't do what we say, you you probably going to be black ballalled. You'll probably won't be able to raise money again. you know, is a you're dealing with these powerful venture capitalists and um they can get in your head."

ButcherBox founder and CEO Mike Salguero recalls that, while running his venture-backed startup CustomMade, he felt pressure from investors to stick with the original marketplace strategy even as he believed it was failing. He says founders can face implied threats about being “black balled” if they do not follow investors’ direction, and frames it as a rarely discussed dynamic in venture capital relationships.