There are far too many opportunities for Founders & Funders to meet, yet almost all of them get wasted.
Because the stuff that really matters never gets brought up in the investor meetings and thus the funders are left frustrated, while the founders leave thinking that if they keep polishing their pitch-deck and keep obsessing over the wrong things — they will somehow magically tele-transport the investors into their side of the House.
That polished deck?
Your rehearsed pitch?
Those inflated projections?
They’re just the tip of the spear.
Stop polishing it, because it’s already sharp enough. And because the Funders care about a whole different set of things.
Because truly, what investors REALLY care about is obfuscated in your pitch.
And because the real knowledge is lurking just beneath the surface.
So why don’t You take a page from Elon’s playbook and show it, by turning the academic paradigm on its head ?
Because today this “tip” of the spear is what they only see, since that’s the only stuff you show to them. Even though you struggle to deliver to them your best shot, after multiple rewrites, copious work and constant improvements, all you end up delivering, is this pastiche of tired, overcooked, and clearly multiple times reheated & inedible melange of a failed presentation.
I know You think you’ve got all of that, because you’ve got the, 1) Slick slide deck, the 2) Smooth presentation, the 3) Memorized spiel, the 4) Impressive (read: questionable) numbers, the 5) Charismatic delivery, the 7) Trendy buzzwords, etc.
Yet, in your own unique and apparently massively false, yet all too common way of supporting “errata” — all of you, are missing the point entirely, because here below is what ACTUALLY matters to Funders, and you need to show them that.
Please show them what’s here, first thing, before their eyeballs turn into their skull, and they run pell-mell for the exits. So please show only these ten things: 1) A deep market understanding, 2) a unique value proposition, 3) a clearly scalable business model, 4) a great product-market fit, 5) a clear evidence of a general competitive advantage, 6) a solid team dynamic, 7) a set of realistic financial projections, 8) a simple “go-to-market” strategy that you can actually execute, 9) attention to your IP protection, 10) a clear customer acquisition plan, 11) an understanding of risk management, 12) strong long-term vision, and 13) capacity to constantly pivot for market adaptability…
Yours,
Dr Churchill
PS:
Still, once you’ve done all of that – please remember to redo the following: Courage to tell the TRUTH, because successful pitches are built on substance, not just style, and for God’s sake – please stop polishing your “tip” since you already know that you need to start strengthening what’s below, because that’s how you’ll really win investors over.