The founder’s pitch deck had 47 slides.

I hung up after 7 minutes.

That was March 2026. Another Tuesday, another overproduced presentation.

The deck looked like a design masterpiece. Every animation perfect. Every transition smooth. Every font choice deliberate.

But slide 12 still couldn’t answer: “How do you make money?”

The brutal truth behind most failed fundraises isn’t the market or timing.

It’s founders who fall in love with the presentation instead of the problem.

I’ve seen this across 200+ pitches while writing checks for millions of dollars across multiple startups. The decks that got funded were never the prettiest ones.

They were the clearest ones.

Now I ask every founder: “Explain your business in 3 slides. Problem. Solution. Traction. That’s it.”

If you can’t hook me in 3 slides, 47 won’t save you.

Which matters more when you’re raising: the story or the slides?

𝗞𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗻𝗮 𝗟𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗺𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗶 | 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿 · 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 · 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿
Writing at the intersection of AI, capital, and the future of the human job market – sharing mylife lessons, reflections, and honest takes from the founder-investor’s seat.