On the pitch deck side of things, stop what you’re doing and watch Why your startup pitch deck slide titles are probably terrible!

This first episode of Uncapped Notes will give you a good framework on how to set up your slide titles and design your pitch deck.  

As for finding specific holes in your story or business, we actually recommend you ask other founders, not investors.

Here’s the thing. Investors don’t have an incentive to be 100% honest. Founders might not want to pitch them again if they give critical feedback. So investors lean toward being nice and neutral in order to leave that door open to re-explore.  

I know this kind of sucks, but that’s the reality.

On the other hand, founders give it to you straight. They provide candid and honest feedback because they don’t have anything to gain or lose. So go talk to founders who have recently raised their seed or Series A.

If you’re concerned about a particular investor who isn’t interested in your startup, one thing you can do is simply ask the investor directly, “What are the themes you like to invest in?” and “What are some good examples of companies that you’ve invested in along those lines?”

Good VC firms are explicit about what categories they like to invest in. It doesn’t hurt to take control of the convo and try to get tactical feedback. Like is there a problem with my pitch or team? Or are you just not an investor in this category?