Every year, thousands of founders buy into the illusion that tech conferences are the gateway to success. They see tweets about million-dollar deals at events, watch highlight reels of startup founders shaking hands with investors, and think, “I need to be there, or I’ll be left behind.” This is startup FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) at its finest—an emotional manipulation that convinces young companies to burn cash they don’t have on events they don’t need. The Harsh Truth: Most Startups Leave Empty-Handed For every success story at a conference, there are hundreds of startups that leave with nothing. No funding, no press, no customers. Just a pile of business cards and an inbox full of irrelevant sales pitches. Why? Because these events are designed to benefit the organizers and sponsors—not you. The Three Big Lies Conferences Sell to Startups 1. “You’ll Meet Investors Who Are Ready to Fund You” Here’s the reality: Most VCs already know who they’re ...