Investor Stories 417: Best LP Question (Delk, Hilaly, Dash)

What It Covers

Three venture investors share the most revealing questions they've received from LPs and founders, exposing what truly matters beyond standard due diligence metrics.

Key Questions Answered

• •Mission vs metrics question: Ryan Delk was asked if Primer could hit all growth targets but still fail by his standards, revealing his focus on student outcomes over scale through regulatory capture or political connections.
• •Expectations over tactics: Arif Hilali values founders who ask about vision and expectations rather than requesting lists of customer introductions or recruits, since long-term support matters more than transactional help at relationship end.
• •Conviction testing: Samesh Dash learned from Travis Kalanick that the painful question is simply asking if you truly believe the numbers, cutting through valuation rationalizations to expose fundamental conviction in the founder's ability.