Revolut CEO Nik Storonsky says most VCs are like cheerleaders trying to play on the field
David Senra posted that Revolut CEO Nik Storonsky said in an interview that most venture capitalists are like cheerleaders trying to play on the field.
Storonsky said that these people basically believe that because they gave money, the company was founded, and therefore they are entitled to take a large share of the success. He advised entrepreneurs that even if they raise money from VCs, they still need to pay close attention to the shareholder agreement to ensure that investors are only pure financial participants, with no voting rights and no role in decision-making.
Storonsky said: If something goes wrong, what you actually have is a cheerleading squad watching the game, and then they try to go on the field and play in place of professional players. That is always a disaster.
Original sources:
Title: Revolut CEO Nik Storonsky says most VCs are like cheerleaders trying to play on the field Publisher: David Senra（@davidsenra） Publication date: 2026-10-26 URL：https://x.com/davidsenra/status/2114804717461401604 Source type: interview excerpt post Verification status: read in this instance (2026-10-26) Supporting content: Storonsky compared most VCs to cheerleaders trying to get on the field; advised paying attention to shareholder agreements; ensuring no voting rights or decision-making seats
Title: Nik Storonsky Stripped Every VC Off the Revolut Board Publisher: The Podcast Summary (excerpt from Founders Podcast) Publication date: 2026-10-25 URL：https://www.thepodcastsummary.com/episodes/hT_MAAwFLIc/storonsky-keeping-vcs-off-boards-quantum-light.html Source type: podcast content summary Verification status: read in this instance (2026-10-26) Supporting content: Storonsky said early financing forced him to accept unfavorable shareholder agreements; VC board seats were removed round by round; he believed VCs lacked operational ability
ABAB AI Insight
Storonsky's remarks came from a Founders Podcast interview hosted by David Senra. In the interview, he described how in early financing he was forced to accept terms such as liquidation preferences, board seats, and weakened founder voting rights, and said that in later financing rounds he gradually removed VC directors.
He pointed out that a board seat itself does not confer the ability to operate a company, and that those holding seats are only observers, yet because they provide capital they gain power in the shareholder agreement and believe they have the right to direct the founders.
Storonsky said that Revolut's board currently has no VC members, and he believes that boards should be made up of operators who actually build the business rather than VCs. He also founded his own quantitative venture capital firm, QuantumLight.
Public information does not show that Storonsky made a blanket rejection of all venture capitalists; his comments were directed at investors who have governance power but lack operational experience. The statements in the interview are all his personal views.
ABAB News · Law of Cognition
Storonsky said that most VCs believe they are entitled to take a large share of a company's success because they provided the money.
He advised that even when raising money, investors should remain only in a financial role, with no voting rights or decision-making seats.