[njloof]

My first thought on reading this: "Great, but who shouldn't I talk to?"

I've known founders whose VCs took their "down" moments as weakness. They "helped" them dilute to pave the way for future takeover. They exploited founders' weakness and talked about them behind their backs. Who can you really trust when you and your company are at their weakest?

[gsibble]

Thanks for bringing this up. Even worse is trying to raise a round of funding when you can barely raise yourself out of bed in the morning. VC/Investors are probably the last people I would ever talk to about the low feelings during dark startup days.

[XERQ]

Great point, "mentors" and VCs are there to make an ROI. The best thing to have is a network of other founders you can meet, people who have no stake in your success or failure.