In this article, I share practical advice for the founders on effectively presenting to early-stage investors. These observations and ideas are inspired by reviewing 1000+ pitch decks and making more than 30 startup investments globally.
Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash
In numerous meetings with startups, I’ve noticed that I often reiterate certain questions and suggestions. Recognizing this pattern, it seemed beneficial to consolidate these insights into a blog post. This aims to shed light on what investors typically seek when engaging with early-stage companies. By following these recommendations, founders can position themselves to attract investors and ensure their efforts are channeled most efficiently.
1/ Value everyone’s time. Setting the context before the meeting is crucial
Founders are often eager to jump on the call immediately after we connect over LinkedIn or have some “warm” introduction. Is it the best use of everyone’s time?
For both the VC and the founder, time is precious. For both, the goal is to spend the time in a way that will give the best returns. A brief email including the blurb, pitch deck, valuation cap, founder’s bio, and the timeline for this round would provide a fruitful start to the partnership.
2/ Show the graph of the existing traction
All investors look for this in the deck: the graph, growing from the bottom-left to the upper-right (ascending). Ideally, this graph should reflect the past 6+ months’ revenue growth or any signal on product usage.
Two options that are less than ideal, in my humble opinion, are: