Ben Zises’ Post

I take meetings based on this format.

How Do You Tell A Compelling Story About Your Company To Investors? Every founder thinks they have an awesome team and technology; the question is, what will investors think? In fundraising, most founders are tempted to jump straight into PowerPoint to get started. Don’t do it! Here’s the secret to a great pitch: "It’s not about the slides; it’s about the story." So how do you tell a compelling story? - First, figure out which type of story you should be telling and make that narrative into a sandwich, emphasizing the key point at the beginning and again at the end. Next, use your problem and solution statements to emotionally and intellectually engage your audience, and be sure to adequately address all the expected areas in the deck. With all that in mind, you’ll be ready to follow three simple steps to craft your winning deck. - Choose The Right Story To Tell The first and most important thing to decide about your pitch is which story you should be telling. Fiction may have seven plot archetypes, but pitches tend to fall into one of four narratives, listed here in order of strength: Traction. This is the story you want to be telling. Maybe your revenue or user base is growing really fast (> 20% month-over-month), or you’ve closed deals with major customers or partners. If you have traction that will impress investors, then tell a traction story. Team. Maybe you don’t have wow-factor traction yet, but you and your cofounders are successful second-time founders or have a management team with impressive pedigree. In that case, tell a people story. Technology. Or perhaps you don’t have strong traction but have created a technological breakthrough in an important field. Then you could tell a technology story. Vision. This is the story of last resort. If you don’t have impressive traction, a highly regarded team, or a technological breakthrough, then you have to fall back on a vision story of how you want to change the world. Be realistic in your self-analysis of what qualifies as “impressive.” Every founder thinks they have an awesome team and technology; the question is, what will investors think? If you’re not sure which story you should tell, then get some feedback from investors or other founders. - Make A Sandwich To capture investors’ attention and help them remember you, open the pitch with your company’s single most impressive achievement to date, and then highlight that achievement again at the very end. "Open the pitch with your company’s highest achievement." We have covered this topic in detail in the attached document.👇 🚀 Interested in startups and venture capital? Subscribed to our Venture Curator Newsletter & Join 28000+ founders & investors: https://lnkd.in/dKZQKHg2 . #startup #venturecapital #funding #fundraising #vc #startup #venturecapital #funding #founders #entrepreneurship #startups #founderstories #startuptips #fundraising #mvp #founderlife #entrepreneur #ycombinator

On the flip side, VCs should also strive for a flawless pitch interaction. A big shout-out to Steve Procter for writing the 17 ways that an investor could make a pitch meeting FLOP... 👇 👉 Not doing their homework. Investors should be familiar with the startup's space and have some grasp on the problem the startup is trying to solve 👉 Interrupting the pitch. Investors should allow the founders to finish their thoughts and presentations before asking questions 👉 Unreasonable deadlines or demands. Pressuring founders to rush decisions or make unnecessary commitments can breed resentment 👉 Poor communication or follow-up. This is a two-way street. Investors should also be prompt in providing feedback or further steps 👉 Being overly aggressive on confidential information. Yes, due diligence is essential, but respecting the founders' need to protect their IP is equally important 👉 Not clarifying their questions. Investors should make sure they're asking clear, concise questions and make sure they get the answers they need 👉 Low enthusiasm or interest. Just as founders should show passion, so should investors. A lack of interest can lead to a lack of motivation on the founders' side 👉 Taking over the conversation. Allow the founders to lead the pitch meeting. They know their business best 👉 Not introducing themselves properly. Founders want to know who they're dealing with too. Investors should share their background, focus areas, and investment thesis 👉 Not recognizing founders' stress signals. Pitching can be stressful. An investor should aim to create a comfortable environment for discussion 👉 Complicated investment terms. Keeping the deal terms straightforward makes it easier for founders to decide 👉 Being too passive. Founders appreciate investors who show interest and engage proactively 👉 Not providing feedback at the end. Even if they're not interested in investing, constructive feedback is always valuable for founders 👉 Not understanding the startup's business. If the investor shows a lack of understanding of the business, it could lead to miscommunication and missed opportunities 👉 Incomplete or messy due diligence process. Having a clear, organized due diligence process shows respect for the founders' time and work 👉 Not open to founders' perspectives. A good investor acknowledges that founders might have unique insights about their industry and market 👉 Overloading the first meeting with too many topics. The first meeting is a get-to-know-each-other opportunity. Investors should prioritize understanding the founders and their vision over deep diving into every detail Lord knows I need to grow in a few of these - thank you again Steve! 🤗

A good pitch deck is more than facts and figures. It tells a story. When you have a good story to tell, building your deck becomes a series of chapters that help investors remember your startup and connect emotionally to it. Connection is the first step to engagement which leads to questions and a conversation. Competition for funding is fierce so keeping it short and to the point is key. The standard deck is 15 slides presented in 5 minutes. There are 10 sections. Here are 5 sections that should always be included: 1. Introduction slide: this lays the groundwork for your presentation and tells me who you are and why you're here. 2. The Problem: State the problem you plan to solve with your product in a clear, concise way. 3. The Solution: Connect the dots between high-level problem and solution. Don't tell me everything about how you plan to solve this problem. Share just enough to pique an investor's curiosity so they're primed to learn more. 4. The Market: This is your opportunity to demonstrate and validate your concept. Remember that everyone in the world is not your target. Showing how you've arrived at your market share means you've done your research. 5. MVP: Share 3-5 benefits of your product and how one would use it. Resist the temptation to load up your slide with everything that could be in your final product. Finally, don't just end your presentation. Include a closing slide that sums up what you want your audience to remember about your story.

Why do I end up rejecting 90% of the Pitch Decks that I evaluate As someone who evaluates numerous pitch decks as part of my job now, I've noticed a recurring pattern: the majority don't make the cut. As a founder I never understood why someone would reject my pitch deck but now I see so many reasons for Why and very few for Why not ! Here are the key reasons: 1. Problem Not Compelling Enough: Investors seek startups tackling substantial problems. Make sure your problem statement grabs attention. 2. Market Size Misjudgment: Investors look for startups targeting sizable markets. Ensure you have a clear understanding of your market size and potential. 3. Missing Differentiation: Stand out from the crowd by highlighting what makes your solution unique. 4. Traction and Journey Unclear: Investors want to see a clear path to success. Show concrete progress and future plans. 5. Lack of Competitive Analysis: Show that you understand your competitors and have a strategy to outperform them. 6. Founder Story Untold: Investors bet on founders as much as ideas. Share your journey and why you're the right person for this venture. 6. Poor Presentation Design: A well-designed pitch deck can make a big difference. Ensure your deck is visually appealing and easy to follow. Remember, your pitch is your gateway to funding. Take the time to refine it, seek feedback, and make it compelling. It's not just another presentation; it's your opportunity to shine. To an investor, your pitch is one among many, but to you, it's your dream and hard work. Make it count! In case you want to share your business idea or get your pitch deck evaluated, just drop in a comment below and DM me and I’ll get back (not promising any timelines but guaranteeing support)

Do you know 9/10 Founders fails to secure Funding? Most Founders have no clue, that they are silently sabotaging their Business Plan by overlooking their UVP. Ever wondered why a staggering 9 out of 10 founders struggle to secure funding? Let's delve into a critical observation from the consultant's lens: the failure to translate the Unique Value Proposition (UVP) into the business plan. As a consultant, I've witnessed a common misstep – founders often stumble in articulating their UVP within their business plans. It's not just about having a unique value; it's about effectively conveying it on paper. Investors need to see your UVP seamlessly integrated into your business strategy. When the essence of what makes your venture exceptional is lost in translation, the pitch loses its punch, and funding becomes an uphill battle. Founders, take heed. Ensure your business plan is not just a document with some graphs and numbers but it is a persuasive narrative that vividly communicates your UVP. It's a more practical approach, and it's yielding more success. 🚀 Do you agree that the fundraising landscape is evolving for the better? Share your thoughts below. P.S. What challenge you are facing in your fundraising strategy?

Everybody is wrong about the pitch decks Why? Because they think these are useful only when you want to raise from investors. But that is just a fraction of events where pitch decks come in handy. You can create a pitch deck for your own purpose when you have a new idea and you are in the initial stages of showing out your vision and idea. The pitch deck can also come in handy when you want to enroll advisors. Think about it, how are you going to explain them in an easy way to understand? The same may apply when you want to onboard co-founders. I know I did it without one with Diana but you may not be so lucky. For team members as well, the need for a pitch deck may apply. You’ll have to show them what you have done so far, what is your vision and how they can contribute to it. I won’t talk about the implication of the pitch deck in the raising process because I’m sure you are well aware of it, but maybe you don’t know that you can use it when doing the exit. Your acquirer would love to see a well-crafted and designed deck. That will ease his decisions and make the offer faster. So, stop saying you aren’t in a rush with the pitch deck just because you want to raise it 8 months from now. Because in the meantime a good pitch deck can help you onboard a client, a partner, a co-founder, or a team member. And those events will definitely ease your funding process. PS: We just launched a free pitch deck guide. It’s meant for entrepreneurs looking for help with building a pitch deck. You can get it on my profile!

#Founders, please don't pay a consultant to help with your pitch deck. If you remember these 10 points below, your pitch deck will turn out just fine, and you can use that extra $ to get more customers 👇 1. Clarity matters. You have seconds to convince an investor to "swipe right." Ask yourself "what is the most important information I want my readers to understand" and "how do I make it easier for my readers to understand" (Jessica Lasky-Fink). Put differently, "you want to explain what you do very clearly, in as few words as possible." (Y Combinator) 2. Design matters. When I say design, I mean that it should look "clean" and be typo-free. There are rare situations when it doesn't, but investors will judge your product or service (whether they admit it or not) based on how your deck looks. This doesn't have to be pricey or take a while, though; find a template somewhere and replicate it. 3. Format matters. You should have two decks. One that's built for when you walk an investor through the deck live, and the other for when you attach it to an email / send it cold. 4. Honesty matters. Don't exaggerate the market or your growth. A TAM of Trillions is less insightful than your GTM strategy for attacking the beachhead. Be transparent, as it sets the stage for all future convos. 5. Demonstrate growth. While there's now an emphasis on driving profitability in addition to growth (whereas historically, it was more about "Grow at all costs"), investors need to see growth. This can be revenue-based or non-revenue-based (e.g., user growth). 6. You have competitors. Never say there are no competitors that just tells investors you're either attempting to mislead them, or you haven't done enough market research. Even when you're paving a new trail, some competitors/incumbents will either try to stop you or replicate what you're doing. There are always competitors - explain why you're not worried about them. 7. Inspire. Early stage investors are often betting on the founders more so than the company. And telling a compelling narrative (both on paper and verbally) shows two things: (1) you could sell (which you'll have to do a lot in the beginning), and (2) you have vision, passion and grit - the necessary ingredients to build a Trillion dollar company. 8. Iterate. As you pitch investors tweak your deck. Maybe there are confusing bits, or maybe you keep getting the same question repeatedly. Tackle that head-on rather than hide from it. 9. Project within reason. Financial projects are vital for later-stage companies, but for a pre-seed/seed-stage company, they're often less helpful. Why? Because most of the time, they're built on invalidated assumptions. If you do one early on, be sure to do a bottom-up, not top-down, analysis, as it will be much more accurate. 10. Hit the key points. Problem, solution, traction, growth, why you/team, why now, market (and GTM), biz model, team, your ask. I hope this helps!