A short talk by Jason M. Lemkin advising startup founders to take and engage with seemingly ‘stupid’ or off-topic questions from VCs during pitches. He argues that interruptions or unexpected questions can reveal useful insights or perspectives and that founders should answer them and adapt the conversation rather than insist on staying linear.
You may think the question is stupid, it may even be stupid, but there's a reason they ask. Ask it. Sometimes it is to hear themselves talk, but sometimes it's that they just met with a startup that was kind of different. Maybe not competitive, not in the same space, but roughly different, and something stuck in their head from that meeting and they want to hear what you think about it. Don't in my advice, and some will disagree. Don't say. You'll get to that later. Don't say answer the VC's question. Even if they want to jump around the deck, jump around the conversation. Even the conversation is not linear in the way you like. Even if your pitch is interrupted, do it.
