I'm redesigning pitch decks for free today! Like + Reply "Me" + DM me your deck. Will be livestreamed on X, so don't be shy 🙈

Most VCs won't spend time figuring out if you're a better operator than the next founder. How could they? They see 50 startups per week. A pretty deck or an exciting Zoom call says nothing about your ability to execute. Instead, VCs look at your track record: 1️⃣ Did you successfully exit a previous startup (+ how big)? 2️⃣ Are you an authority in your field (patents, h-index) [For deeptech]? 3️⃣ Did you occupy a non-trivial position in big tech (FAANG), in a VC-backed scale-up, or in a high-pressure, competitive environment (MBB, bulge bracket...) 4️⃣ Did you graduate from a selective, competitive school (Ivy, MIT...) Consequence: your track record is the SINGLE MOST DEFINING variable of your raise. But what if you are a "No-brand founder" (cc @prasann_pandya) Here's how you can still raise: STRATEGY 1: Go to smaller investors. Angels, accelerators, emerging managers. Yes, these are smaller checks + higher dilution. It is what it is. STRATEGY 2: Bootstrap. Cut costs, increase revenue. It's the slow road, but you don't need anybody's permission to take it. Look at grants, too. STRATEGY 3: Speak with bigger VCs and update them monthly via email. If they care enough and see progress over time, they are likely to consider you. That's the "invest in lines, not dots" strategy. (It's not either/or btw. You should pursue all 3 strategies.) Bottom line: if you can build a path to Product-Market Fit without VC money, that's your shot. PS: Hopefully, for your next startup, you will be an exited founder and things will be much easier. PPS: This post is for pre-PMF founders, and mostly in software.

Any founder can go right now to OpenVC and get a cool Fundraising dashboard for free. What a beauty! 😍

WORK IN PROGRESS: Trying to explain how VC works to first-time founders. (It's oversimplified on purpose) It is clear? helpful? correct?

Every founder who raised in 2021: 💀 (must watch)

PSA: We're increasing the price of OpenVC Premium memberships. ▸ If you're already Premium, your price stays the same ▸ If you're not, upgrade before Jan 4 to get the old price And of course, 99% of OpenVC remains free forever - as always 😇

Founders, when building your pitch deck, start with CONTENT FIRST! Here's my cheatsheet + 1 example for you 🎁👇

Every founder should watch this! How to negotiate with VCs:

Attention founders! Registrations are open for our October webinar: "How to raise funds like a pro". You will learn how to: 1️⃣ Design your fundraising strategy 2️⃣ Do cold outreach that works 3️⃣ Maximize warm intros Free, 50 seats only. Sign up at openvc.app/webinars! 🎟️

When raising funds, DO A WEIGHTED PIPELINE. 99% of founders ignore this basic tip. 👇 • Estimate a check size for each investor • Estimate a win probability for each stage 🪄 TA-DAM! You get a weighted pipeline value! You immediately see if you're talking to enough investors. Best way to keep a pulse on your raise. Now, where do you find the check size for each investor? On OpenVC, of course! 😇

Today's deal flow is ridiculously good 😱 >> openvc.app/flow <<

Founders, I'm giving you my ultimate guide to building your pitch deck. 👉 Slide-by-slide process 👉 50+ killer slide examples 👉 Curated list of templates In return, I only ask: like & comment this post so another founder can find it! 💪💪💪 openvc.app/blog/startup-pitc…

Today, we're launching OpenVC Flow, a new deal sourcing experience for VCs and Angels. 🎉 Read on for the details. But first, support our launch! Please like + reply + share to help us go HUGE! 🙏🙏🙏