Fredrik Hjelm: ‘Founders bet their lives. VCs bet other people’s money’
12 nov. 2025
12:22
Voi co-founder Fredrik Hjelm has sparked a debate about startup risk, arguing that founders have far more to lose than the VCs who fund them – a perspective that many tech entrepreneurs seem to share.
“Founders bet their lives. VCs bet other people’s money,” Fredrik Hjelm, co-founder and CEO of e-scooter startup Voi, wrote in a social media post this week.
“Both are needed, it's just very different games,” he continued. “As a founder, you have all your eggs in one basket. Your money, time, emotions, and reputation – everything tied to one company. You need 100% of that one bet to work.”