The game is rigged; the goalposts move (and we still have to pretend it’s fair)

Editor’s note: The perspectives expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. JQ Sirls is an author and illustrator, as well as co-founder and CEO of Storytailor — an AI-infused storytelling platform that turns children’s emotions and challenges into adventures filled with imagination and wonder.

His company was named one of Startland News’ Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2024, and is a Digital Sandbox KC recipient, a past member of the NMotion Accelerator and LaunchKC’s Social Venture Studio, and a LaunchKC grants competition winner. Sirls also is a member of Pipeline Entrepreneurs.

The most frustrating part of this journey isn’t that the game is rigged, it’s that I have to pretend it’s not.

I have to soften the truth so the people holding the resources don’t feel uncomfortable. I have to prove myself 10 times over while staying “palatable” enough to still be investable. I have to accept the rigged game and play as if it’s fair, just to keep the doors open.

And that’s the trap. If you speak up, you risk losing access. If you stay quiet, you keep playing by rules that weren’t built for you to win.

Yet when we point this out, the response is always the same, “It’s hard for everyone.” As if the barriers, biases, and shifting goalposts we face are identical to everyone else’s experience.

But we know what happens behind closed doors. The conversations they don’t think we hear. The moment the shift happens, not because the idea isn’t strong, not because the traction isn’t there, but because of something else.

Something buried deep in the polished language of optimism. Wrapped in advice. Delivered with a well-meaning nod. A decision disguised as guidance. A pivot from “Let’s fund this” to “Let’s guide you.”

Instead of funding, it’s another mentorship offer. Instead of writing the check, it’s to schedule another call. More meetings, more encouragement, less investment, no intros, but very flowery pat on backs.

The exhaustion isn’t from the grind but from watching how the system prioritizes comfort for those in power while forcing those without it to navigate in silence. And then there’s the condescension. The “justs.” “You’re just not selling yourself right.” “Maybe it’s just that you…” Always some reason that shifts the blame onto the founder rather than the system itself.

The reality is, there’s no shortage of founders building transformational companies. The question isn’t whether they are ready, but whether the funding ecosystem is truly ready to back them.

And if that founder happens to be Black, the pattern becomes even clearer.

… exhale …

It’s time to stop letting bias masquerade as strategy. Beyond the surface-level commitments. We don’t need more conversations. We need solutions. Who’s ready to build them?

This commentary originally appeared on JQ Sirls’ LinkedIn page. Click here to follow him on LinkedIn and here for Instagram.