My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
Pitch decks should focus on building investor confidence, not explaining product features
Evidence
Successful fundraising focuses on answering investor questions: Are you credible? Is problem big? Is solution working? How big can this get?
Implication
Structure pitch around evidence that reduces investor risk perception rather than technical product details
Counter Belief
Investors need to understand exactly how the product works to evaluate the technology and competitive advantage
Example Application
Spend more slides on market size, traction metrics, and team credentials than on product architecture or feature specifications
Related Knowledge
Save Good News for the End
Take 15% of your good news and hold it back until the final slides to create a positive lasting impression and additional momentum.
Anchor Your Vision to Recognized Winners
Position your company as 'we're doing what [successful company] did for [known market] but for [your bigger market]' to help investors quickly understand the opportunity size.
The Investor Pitch Narrative Arc
A 16-slide sequence that builds investor confidence by answering their core questions in logical order: Are you credible?
Lead With Credibility Rule
When you have meaningful accomplishments, put them as slide 2 to establish that you're worth listening to before diving into your business details.
Create a problem slide that makes investors immediately understand the scale and urgency of what you're solving
Investor reads your problem slide and thinks 'wow, this affects way more people than I realized and I can see why they c
Clearly communicate your competitive advantage in a way investors immediately understand
Investor finishes reading and thinks 'ah, I see exactly how this is different and why that difference matters'