Yeah, though part of due dill from founders side should reveal this - you ask past portfolio co's what kind of terms the firm leans to + their preferred process, and if their process is playing stupid partner games with stupid terms, you price that in to your negotiations. And yes, it's annoying + common, esp. the bigger and more diverse you go... . In theory you can add stuff like breakup and late fees: that's unusual in startup fundings, but the weird softbank-isms may make that kind of term more aligned.

I now treat VC as a funny form of enterprise sales, and this happens there too. Want a 6/7/8 figure deal? Same thing: has the group bought stuff at that level before, if so, what is the process? And, the more critical the deal, the more imp. you talk to folks who also recently ran the gauntlet.

Eh. It's not about the reneging its about the communication and intent.

From experience its a very small marketplace (esp with big checks). So there is a very high expectation that people act with longterm consideration of one another and subsequently their reputation. Just disappearing, or changing terms without a material change is dishonest period.