Thanks for this point. And, to be clear, I certainly agree with the logic of asking. As I write in the article, if I were giving millions of dollars to someone, I’d want to use any tool at my disposal to understand how they think and plan and problem solve, etc.

My bigger point — and what I often try explaining to the entrepreneurs I mentor — is that if you do a good job of pitching, you’ll demonstrate everything the potential investor needs to know without them asking. That ability to demonstrate what they need to know *is* the indicator that you understand the kind of company you’re building, why you’re building it, how to build it, etc. In other words, everything about your market opportunity, your business model, and your maturity in building the company should be so apparent from the presentation that asking for a financial projection would seem redundant.

I realize, on some levels, that’s an unobtainable ideal, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be the goal, right? =)