From #4: I think it is critical to be efficient with your time. For example, make meetings short and do not waste a lot of your time getting a few extra tidbits for an investor. This has nothing to do with how you treat investors. And treating anyone like shit can backfire, probably not this time but later on. Be nice. Efficient, strong, self-interested but nice. It has much better ROI.
From #5. Do not make things up. On the other hand, do not disclose unrequested information that does not make your project look good
I have noticed a growing trend in generally arrogant founders in the past few years, and it's disappointing to see. I do have a strong "no assholes" criteria, and won't fund such founders no matter how good everything else looks. At the end of the day, a startup is people first, and life is too short to work with assholes.
> Make up stuff to make things look good.
That's gonna backfire.
That said, it's a fine line between good storytelling and out-right lying. You should be telling a story "based on true events", not a fantasy epic that's easy to pick apart. Credibility is everything. And just like watching an implausible action movie, playing with the truth is easy to spot, and the fastest way to damage your credibility.
#4 looks reasonable if you remove the first sentence (“treat investors as shit”).
That is pretty much every company out there. Company leaders revise their history to make them more attractive, come up with visions in hindsight and add ethic concerns etc.
OP did not say what you claim he/she did.
Outright lying always bites you in the end.
2. Assume a position of power - you will make this company big even without funding because plan B is in place.
3. Talk to investors from this position. You are smarter than them. You know more about this business. You don't need this particular investor to invest because others have already signed up.
4. Treat investors like shit. Dont look too eager to setup meetings. Schedule meetings a week out atleast. When you drop into a meeting do NOT spend more than half an hour to 45 minutes. Do NOT answer all questions for investors - be selective about information you disclose - push answers to next meeting - make yourself scarce.
5. Do bullshit padding around your entire story. If something doesnt sound too good dont disclose that information. Make up stuff to make things look good.
There are people who will find the points above ethically questionable. These people most likely dont know what it takes to raise money.