The vibe shift in angel investing is real. Used to be: build something solid, launch it, then ask for funding—that was the whole pitch. Now? Different story entirely. Even if you've got a working product shipped and running, investors just shrug. "You could've spun this up with an AI in 24 hours," they'll say. "Where's the actual traction? Show me the users, the revenue, the growth curve." The game completely flipped. Product quality alone doesn't move the needle anymore. It's all about proving people actually want what you built.