One year as a solo dev building open-source data tools without funding
Advice regarding VCs: Don't ever talk to them if they randomly approach you saying they "really like what you're doing". They will gladly sent an associate to talk with you about your business in the greatest detail and ask you to share presentations, demos and metrics. Anything you give them will then get passed along to their own portfolio companies in your space. So don't feel flattered when they feign interest in your company, they're mostly just doing reconnaissance. Ignore it as chances are you're feeding them information they'll use to kill your company.<p>If you're really interested in VC funding you should proactively approach VCs (ideally using introductions by your network) that seem suitable. And you should check beforehand that they don't fund your main competitor.