The Angel → VC → FIAT Loop (that nobody wants to name)
There’s a familiar pattern that keeps replaying in tech.
1. Skilled corporate operator burns out
2. Jumps into entrepreneurship
3. Gets “angel interest” and warm introductions
4. Is told: “You’re close, just need traction”
5. Meanwhile: mortgage, family, burn rate, time pressure
6. Capital never quite arrives — or arrives with control strings
7. Founder takes a “temporary” high-paying role
8. Startup quietly dies
9. Founder is back where they started — but more indebted
This isn’t bad luck.
It’s not a talent issue.
It’s a structural FIAT extraction loop.
Angels don’t fund builders — they fund optionality.
VCs don’t back sustainability — they back exit velocity.
Banks don’t finance freedom — they finance obedience.
The system allows just enough “almost made it” stories to keep everyone believing the next cheque is coming… while time, debt, and responsibility do the real enforcement.
FIAT doesn’t crush entrepreneurs.
It waits until they can’t afford to keep going.
If you’ve seen this pattern more than once, you’re not cynical — you’re observant.
The real question isn’t “why did the startup fail?”
It’s “who benefited from it trying?”
#Startups #VentureCapital #AngelInvesting #FounderLife #FiatEconomy #SystemicRisk #CapitalAllocation #Entrepreneurship