👋 Hi, I’m Andre and welcome to my newsletter Data-driven VC which is all about becoming a better investor with data & AI. Every Tuesday, I publish “Insights” to digest the most relevant startup research & reports. Every Thursday, I publish “Essays” that cover hands-on insights about data-driven innovation & AI in VC, and every Sunday, I publish “Picks” to spotlight the hottest Stealth, Early, and Growth Startups. Follow along to understand how startup investing becomes more data-driven, why it matters, and what it means for you.
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Cutting Through the Noise
Another day, another pitch deck guide? If you've ever tried searching for advice on building a pitch deck, you know how overwhelming it can be. With over 20 million results 🤯 on Google for "perfect pitch deck," the information on the topic is overwhelming and incredibly varied in quality and consistency.
Many of these resources even contradict each other, leaving entrepreneurs confused about which path to follow. This conflicting advice can make the already daunting task of securing funding even more challenging.
Your pitch deck is often the first and thus most important impression investors get of your startup—it’s your central door opener in the fundraising process. In fact, a staggering 89% of investors expect to see a pitch deck before they even consider a potential investment opportunity. Despite this expectation, less than 1% of startups actually secure any amount of funding (National Venture Capital Association, 2022). These statistics highlight just how crucial it is to get your pitch deck right from the start.
We've taken the time to review the literature and delve into the data to bring you a reliable, evidence-based assessment of what makes a pitch deck truly successful. Our goal is to provide you with grounded, practical guidance that you can trust and implement with confidence + share some real-world examples at the end of this post.
Note that we focused specifically on the pre-seed and seed stages. As startups progress beyond these stages, pitch decks tend to become more varied based on quantitative metrics indicative for the respective business.
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