My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
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.
Decision Rule
When organizing pitch content, identify your best pieces of news (partnerships, revenue milestones, team additions, funding commitments) and save one compelling item for slide 14-15 instead of putting everything upfront.
How It Works
Recency effect means people remember endings more than middles. A final piece of good news leaves investors on a high note and creates feeling of momentum. It also suggests there's more good news coming that they might miss if they don't invest.
Failure Modes
Using weak good news that doesn't create excitement
Saving too much good news so the middle of pitch feels weak
Pot sweetener feels forced or disconnected from main story
Good news is too technical or inside baseball for investors to appreciate
Example Decision
“NIH partnership worth $500k non-dilutive funding could go in traction slide, but instead save it for end with context about $2B in sleep research grants available, creating impression of additional funding sources and institutional validation.”
Related Knowledge
It's better to have a pitch style that some investors love and others hate, rather than one that eve
Fundraising is about finding the right investor match, not appealing to everyone.
StudyEars
Noise pollution reduces children's working memory by 23% and complex memory by 11%, significantly impacting learning and
ftx_documentary_investigation_failure
Pitch decks should focus on building investor confidence, not explaining product features
Structure pitch around evidence that reduces investor risk perception rather than technical product details
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.