Good point. I had never really considered VCs being willing to assist a company unless they had already invested (money) in the company, but just Monday I happened to have a chance to chat with some local VCs and they made that same point.

And in hindsight it makes total sense... if they invest a little time helping a company in some small way (finding a co-founder, finding a beta customer, whatever) and then the company grows to the point of wanting outside investment, they already have an established relationship with the company and are probably in a good position to be part of the funding round. So it's a potential win-win scenario, for a fairly small expenditure.

So yeah, talk to VCs, angels, etc. and see what they might be able and willing to do for ya, even if you're not asking for a monetary investment.