The sad reality is that there are very few humans in the world who are “important,” and those who <i>are</i> important already have their funding needs met.<p>For the rest of us, when it comes time to seek funding, the first question investors will ask is “Who is asking for my money? Why should I care?” You can say you have a great idea. You can outline how millions of developers will definitely hop on board, and it’ll be the next big thing. You can do all of that, but you’re not the first one to make those claims.<p>The old adage of “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” is certainly true. Who do you know? Who can vet you to these investors? If they saw that an Ivy league university liked you enough to accept you, or that a reputable company liked you enough to hire you, that’s a great first step. You have neither. The odds are against you.<p>You can keep trying — I encourage you to keep trying — and if this idea fails, try another idea. Keep trying. It may take years, which is a shame, but it’s what we’re talking about here. It may never happen.<p>Being “tired of the pedigree shit” isn’t going to do you any favors. You and I, and thousands of other entrepreneurs, are not entitled to VC money. We have to make the case for ourselves, and our ideas.