08-18-2026ASK THE EXPERTS

VCs live by FOMO. Smart founders use that against them

5 core principles that any founder can use to close a financing round, using the fear of missing out.

[Source illustrations: Adobe Stock]

BY Patrick J. McGinnis

In June 2026, a social crypto startup called Fomo raised $75 million in a round led by Index Ventures. The company’s name is apt: It builds virality (and FOMO) by allowing users to follow and copy top traders’ moves on the platform.

The FOMO doesn’t stop there. The press release announcing the deal is a master class in FOMO generation. It mentions the “strong participation” of the blue-chip venture capitalist firms Union Square Ventures and Benchmark. It discloses staggering user, trading, and engagement metrics. It ties itself to the mainstreaming of on-chain markets, citing NYSE and Nasdaq’s own moves into........

© Fast Company