If you can retain board control there isn't a ton of leverage unless the VC wants to hurt your business out of spite... in which case you picked the wrong partner.
What the VC can do is ignore you, in which case why did you take VC money when you intended to pass up the networking opportunities? What if you change your mind about raising another round of funding in three years but you already burned the bridge?
You should also remember that your cofounders will be on the board. Often the VC only needs to convince one of them you need a change in direction. A lifelong friend as cofounder will stab you in the back without a second thought if they smell a billion dollars at stake. Hence the advice to be careful about who you get into business with.
Or just don't take VC money in the first place. Then: Networking doesn't come with strings attached (or money), you have zero incentive to grow too fast, and there's no reason that you MUST make 2 billion dollars or shut down the business.
Seriously I've lost count of how many useful services have shut down because they couldn't eat the world, because just making really good money but not incredible ALL THE MONEY wasn't good enough. And for what? Some time in the public eye and a ton of money to blow on dumb shit like San Francisco offices that reduce productivity and a metric assload of hardware you didn't need in the first place.
It cuts both ways though. I am sure there are even more useful services out there that you never heard of because they didn't have enough money to market or distribute their product. The VC route and bootstrapping each have their advantages/disadvantages.
What the VC can do is ignore you, in which case why did you take VC money when you intended to pass up the networking opportunities? What if you change your mind about raising another round of funding in three years but you already burned the bridge?
You should also remember that your cofounders will be on the board. Often the VC only needs to convince one of them you need a change in direction. A lifelong friend as cofounder will stab you in the back without a second thought if they smell a billion dollars at stake. Hence the advice to be careful about who you get into business with.