"1) Every investor is different. I look for founders that scale. I want founders who can grow with their companies and remain as the leaders/visionaries. Uber, Airbnb, Lyft, Facebook, Workday, almost all the big success stories in Silicon Valley have founder CEOs. I also look for market potential -- the market you tackle means a lot. 2) VALUE ADD! Will this investor truly add value to my startup in some way? Is he or she an expert in a key area, or highly connected, or just a great soundboard? And, even more important, do I like this person? Would I get a drink with this person? Do I respect this person? Money is easy to come by if you have a great product -- great partners are not. THink of adding an investor like getting married. 3) I'll pick just one -- make sure you're starting a new business because you want to solve a problem that's bugging the shit out of you, NOT because you want to be an entrepreneur. I've fallen for that trap before, and it was a hard lesson. I remember Leah..." - Ben Parr