No, no and no. Here's a good reason why from Guy Kawasaki:

“Before you even start addressing the hard stuff, never ask a venture capitalist to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). They never do. This is because at any given moment, they are looking at three or four similar deals. They're not about to create legal issues because they sign a NDA and then fund another, similar company--thereby making the paranoid entrepreneur believe the venture capitalist stole his idea. If you even ask them to sign one, you might as well tattoo "I'm clueless!" on your forehead.”

This is an excerpt from his Venture Capitalist Wish list outlining the top ten ways to attract the interest of venture capitalists. Definitely worth a read.

(Thanks, as always, to Funding Universe for the input)

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive