Your Pitch Deck Isn’t the Problem. Your Business Is.

I couldn’t raise venture capital for my first startup.

Not because I didn’t try. I pitched. I worked the deck. I reworked the deck. I chased warm intros. I added polish. Still, no one wrote the check.

My second startup eventually raised—but it was a long, uphill grind. Looking back, I can see the mistakes I made. And now, as someone who gets dozens of decks a week, I see other founders making those same mistakes.

Here’s my hard won truth: If your deck isn’t working, it’s probably not because the design is off. It’s because the business isn’t ready—or isn’t a fit for venture capital in the first place.

Let’s break down why most decks get ignored, and what to do about it.

1. You’re Asking for Money Without Proof

A common opener I see:

“We’re raising $500K to build the product and see if there’s demand.”

This isn’t a plan. It’s a guess.

Hear me loud and clear: Today no founder should be raising capital just to see if anyone wants what they’re building.

There are too many ways to test for demand cheaply—waitlists, landing pages, interviews, small-scale ad tests. You don’t need a full product to figure out if you’re solving something people care about. You need signal.

What to do instead:
Run simple tests. Show behavior. Show interest. Get a waitlist. Get someone to say yes in advance. Don’t pitch an idea. Show evidence.

2. Your Business Doesn’t Fit Venture Capital

Plenty of great businesses aren’t a fit for VC, and that’s fine. But if you’re pitching a business that’s slow-growing, serves a small niche, or caps out at a few million a year, you’re going to struggle in venture rooms.

VCs invest in companies that could grow 10x, 50x, even 100x. That’s the game.

What to do instead:
Be brutally honest with yourself: Is there a clear, rapid path to $100M+ in value here? Can this grow fast? Is the market big enough and growing fast enough? If not, consider alternative funding paths—grants, revenue-based financing, bootstrapping.

3. You Buried the Important Stuff

You have less than two minutes to deliver—if that. If I can’t tell what you do, who you’re for, and why now matters within the first few slides, I’m done.

Too many decks start with fluff—vision statements, vague team bios, product screenshots—and save the real substance for slide 14. That doesn’t work.

What to do instead:
Lead with the essentials. What’s the problem? Who has it? What’s the insight? Why is now the moment? What traction do you have? Don’t make me dig.

4. You Polished Before You Clarified

I see founders spending hours in Canva. Fonts. Icons. Layouts. Graphics. Charts.

But the core narrative is missing. The underlying business case isn’t clear. The key assumptions aren’t explained. There’s no through-line from problem to traction to opportunity.

You can’t design your way out of a weak business case.

What to do instead:
Write the story first. Build the argument. What do you believe? What have you proven? What’s the bet you’re asking someone to make? Once that’s clear, then—and only then—design around it.

And when you do: one key idea per slide. No clutter. No competing messages. Each slide should move the story forward, clearly and decisively. If it doesn’t, cut it.

Even better: make the headlines count. If I only read the slide titles, I should understand the full arc of your pitch. Most investors skim—so guide them.

5. You Skipped the Basics

Too many decks skip over critical questions:

• Who is your customer?

• How are you reaching them?

• What’s the evidence they care?

• Why are you truly unique?

• What’s your plan to grow?

• How big can you get?

• What does it take to get there?

• What happens with the money you raise?

Without answers, you’re asking for trust you haven’t earned.

What to do instead:
Cover the fundamentals. Be specific. Don’t assume the investor will connect the dots. Spell it out—simply and clearly.

6. Ugly Decks, Great Companies

Some of the best companies had messy decks—or no deck at all.

• Airbnb’s original deck (2009): pixelated logos, mismatched fonts. But it nailed the problem, solution, and market.

• Uber: nothing flashy, just a huge opportunity, a dead-simple model, and clear user behavior.

• Facebook: didn’t even have a pitch deck. They had growth.

Clarity beats beauty. Always.

7. You’re Making Avoidable Mistakes

These aren’t fatal. But they are red flags. And they’re easy to fix.

Lack of a Sharp Insight

Too many founders restate the obvious. “People hate doing expense reports” isn’t an insight—it’s common knowledge. What investors want to see is: What have you uncovered that others haven’t? What do you know about the customer, the timing, or the behavior that gives you an unfair advantage?

If your pitch lacks that, it sounds generic—and generic doesn’t get funded.

Team Slide That Says Nothing

Name, photo, title—okay. But what’s your edge? Show founder-market fit. Show relevant experience. If you’re solving a problem you’ve lived, say so. Show me why you are uniquely qualified and able to build this company.

Product Screenshots with No Context

A pretty UI means nothing. I want to know: Are people using this? How often? Why do they come back?

No Distribution Strategy

Too many founders overbuild the product and underthink how it gets into people’s hands. Tell me your acquisition hypothesis. Tell me what you’ve tried. What’s working?

“Use of Funds” Pie Charts

A pie chart that says “40% product, 30% marketing” isn’t helpful. Break it down by milestone. What will this funding unlock? How will you use it to prove something bigger?

Buzzword Overload

AI + Web3 + Marketplace + Community + DAO. If you can’t explain what you do in plain English, it’s not ready. If your mom wouldn’t get it, neither will I.

A 20-Slide Journey to Nowhere

If it takes more than 10 slides to get to the point, you’ve lost me. Be ruthless. Cut what doesn’t move the story forward.

No Hook

I should leave with one thing I can repeat to a colleague: “They’re solving X, and here’s what makes it work.” If there’s no takeaway, you’re forgettable.

What to Do Before You Pitch Anyone

Before you send a deck, do this:

• Talk to real customers.

• Build something small. Test it.

• Collect proof—signups, referrals, pre-orders, usage.

• Get clear on what makes your approach different.

• Know why now is the moment to build this.

This work isn’t optional. It’s the foundation.

Don’t Hit Send Until You Can Check These Boxes

✅ The problem is urgent and specific
✅ You’ve validated demand
✅ You know who your customer is and how to reach them
✅ The business has breakout potential
✅ The story is clear in under 3 minutes

If you can’t check every box, hold the deck. Fix the business first.

Final Thought

If your pitch isn’t getting traction, don’t just tweak the slides. Rethink what you’re asking someone to believe—and what you’ve done to earn that belief.

The best decks don’t persuade. They reveal what’s already working—and a clear pathway to building a home run company.

Do that, and the pitch takes care of itself.