More start-ups are vocally rejecting the ideals of venture capitalists

Some founders have decided the expectations that come with accepting venture capital aren't worth it

On a sunny Saturday morning in New York a few months ago, a group of 50 start-up founders gathered in the dank basement of a Lower East Side bar. They scribbled notes at long tables, sipping coffee and LaCroix while a stack of pizza boxes emanated the odor of hot garlic. One by one, they gave testimonials taking aim at something nearly sacred in the technology industry: venture capital.

Josh Haas, the co-founder of Bubble, a software-writing start-up, told the group that he and venture capitalists “were pretty much totally on different wavelengths” about the trajectory of his business.

Seph Skerritt, the