The question I ask at the end of every first meeting

There's one question I ask at the end of every first meeting. I won't tell you what it is. [pause] What I'll tell you is why I ask it. It's not because I need the answer. I already have a view. I ask it to see what happens in the three seconds after I finish the sentence. Most founders start talking immediately. They fill the space. They're good at filling space — that's how they got the meeting. [pause] The ones I call back don't do that. They sit with it. Sometimes they say, 'I don't know yet.' Sometimes they just write something down. [pause] I've backed three companies where the founder did that. I've passed on nine where they didn't. [pause] The notebook closes.