Complementing vs. competing

Founder / PM: Am I bankable? I don't get it, my returns are great. What am I doing wrong?
Me: What are you saying to investors?

Founder / PM: I'm telling them the truth. The big hedge funds are s***. They charge high fees and deliver low returns.
Me: Is that how you start the convo?

Founder / PM: Yes. I can list all the "bigs" and their crappy performance over the last few years. Why would anyone invest with them?
Me: Right well it doesn't usually help to lead with an industry bashfest. Perhaps you could show how you complement those "bigs" and bring something different, solve some problems.

Founder / PM: No. Anyone who invests with them is a fool.
Me: Okay, but they are really big, so a lot of people invest with them... it's not a zero sum game.

Founder / PM: It is for me. I need to raise money. I'm not. They are. It pisses me off.
Me: Yeah, that's pretty obvious. To me and to potential investors. Gotta be honest. It's not a good look and it's not helping.

“Blasting your competitors doesn’t make you look better. It makes you look desperate and petty.”

Act like you've been there before, like there's plenty of money. Because there is.
A mindset of abundance, an attitude of helping
Complement vs compete. It's way more bankable.