i wouldn&#x27;t ever take investment money without personally benefitting from it.  after working my ass off for 6+ years, the thought of giving a portion of my company away without money in pocket seems patently absurd.  like, a total non-starter.  nope.  i would laugh in the face of anyone who offered.  anyone who tells you otherwise is probably trying to fool you -- that happens a lot when you own a business.<p>if i were a vc, i&#x27;d also want my entrepreneurs to take some money so they can focus on more important things.  the executive team of a funded company with real employees and real expectations of not pissing away a small fortune and many careers should not be worried about personal money <i>at all</i>.  they should have enough disposable income to get all their personal luxury crap like laundry service and car rides, fancy gym memberships and whatnot taken care of.  supporting a family?  then it&#x27;s even more important because it relieves the stress of multiple people which would have been the executives&#x27; to bear.<p>plus, a pissed off founder that got ejected from their own company after years of work and no compensation..... not a recipe for good things.  in fact it&#x27;s a recipe for very, very bad things.