Venture funds that choose to back “slop startups” like this and other startups with questionable morals (Cluely, gambling apps, goonbots etc.) should know that mission-driven founders take note of this and seriously discount that firms reputation. There is something deeply nihilistic about slop startups. The founders and investors that back them are implicitly saying “Nothing really matters. We should just try to make money even if it means producing complete slop or encouraging sin.” This infuriates mission-driven founders and causes a profound sense of disgust that’s hard to get past when we consider who we want to work with.

The corollary from this is that virtue-driven investors gain clout from backing big visions and startups tackling major world problems. Even small virtue-driven funds can compete with the more established funds this way.