Founders write decks from the inside out. Investors read them from the outside in. This gap causes most pitch failures.
Understanding how investors actually process your deck changes everything: what you emphasize, where you place information, and how you structure your story.
VCs see hundreds of decks. They scan, filter, and decide fast. Your deck must work in that timeframe.
First pass is about reasons to say no. Only after surviving that do they look for reasons to say yes.
Investors skip, scan, and jump around. They do not read linearly. Structure your deck accordingly.
The 60-second scan, what they look at first, and how they decide whether to keep reading.
The patterns that kill deals before they start. Learn what makes investors close the tab.
VCs run your deck through a series of mental filters. Fail any one and you are out.
Venture returns require large outcomes. If the market cannot support a $1B+ company, most VCs pass.
Can this specific team execute? Do they have the skills, network, and insight to win?
Traction, usage, revenue, engagement - something that shows this is not just an idea.
Why now? What has changed that makes this possible today when it was not before?
The signals that grab attention in the first 30 seconds. Make them count.
Even great companies get passed if they do not fit the fund's focus, stage, or geography.