Raising money fucked me up

A founder shares their psychological struggle after raising pre-seed funding from respected former bosses and angels. Despite having supportive, pressure-free investors, they found themselves paralyzed by self-imposed expectations and fear of disappointing people who believed in them. The mental burden led to counterproductive decision-making, focusing on vanity metrics and growth speed rather than strategic fundamentals. After reflection, they realized the investors backed them as people, not just an idea, and that following their own process matters more than matching other startups' timelines.