#12 — Crafting your fundraising pitch

Why it matters: Raising capital is a critical step for scaling your venture, but most founders don't have pitch-crafting skills before they start. An effective pitch must generate both conviction and belief from investors that your company has billion-dollar potential.§

Think in Acts, Not Slides

Instead of focusing on individual slides, structure your pitch in three essential acts:§

• Act I: Make your case (What are you building? Why now? Why you?)
• Act II: De-risk your approach (What have you done to increase odds of success?)
• Act III: Broaden your case (What does success mean for all stakeholders?)

The first act does the heavy lifting and requires the most attention - it must hook investors immediately. Communicate your unique market understanding, key insights, product differentiation, and early signals that your approach is working.§

The Five Pitch Plots

Between the lines: Most successful early-stage pitches follow one of these narrative frameworks:§

1. Starting Over: "This market is broken, and we're rebuilding it from scratch"§

   • Works best when educating investors on unfamiliar markets
   • Avoid using with investors already expert in your field

2. Doing That Over Here: "Other markets evolved this way, ours will too"§

   • Effective when you can draw clear parallels to successful $1B+ companies
   • Ensure your market analogies are airtight to prevent investor skepticism

3. But Here's the Thing: "We have a unique insight others have missed"§

   • Powerful when you have genuine information advantage
   • Requires truly original observations that surprise industry insiders

4. All the Kids Are Doing It: "We're riding an emerging behavior shift"§

   • Works when you've identified genuine long-term trends
   • Must demonstrate the trend is sustainable, not temporary

5. I Took It Personally: "I experienced this problem firsthand"§

   • Resonates when your founder story authentically connects to the problem
   • Only works if your personal experience is relatable

Choosing Your Plot

There isn't one perfect plot—all have succeeded with investors. Experiment with different frameworks to find the one that allows you to authentically explain your opportunity. The right framework helps investors "squint and see" the billion-dollar outcome you're building toward.§

Once you've selected your pitch plot, stay the course and build out the second and third acts of your presentation to complete your fundraising story.§