Angel Investing enabling start-up companies

The Texas Startup Blog has some sobering tips for entrepreneurs seeking seed capital.

Frank Demmler writes that entrepreneurs sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that there is a 10-step process that will magically guarantee investment capital.

I really shouldn’t be telling you this, but there is actually a set of criteria that, if met, will guarantee a successful Series A round.

• You are your parents’ favorite child and your last name is Gates or Buffett
• You have bootstrapped your company to $50 million in annual sales  with 60% margins and/or you have actually captured that elusive 3% of the Chinese population as customers
• You have recruited Jim Clark, John Doerr, Michael Moritz, and LarrySergei to your management team

Meet this criteria, and Frank's theory goes out the window.  You are guaranteed your multi-million-dollar A round.

If you haven't been able to do these things, Frank's post may be worth reading.

What other scenarios would guarantee a VC investment?  (Tounge in cheek, of course ...)