Who are you, and why should I pick you to help me with my pitch deck?
Check out my founder and VC and investor testimonials. For a deep dive into my 30+ year career — including dozens of testimonials — check out my LinkedIn profile page. The headline is I have 30 years of founder/CEO/CMO/product marketing experience. I have 8 startups, 6 exits, one $1B IPO, and one $11B Secondary under my belt. I'm not aware of anyone else with my level of successful startup experience offering 1:1 pitch deck coaching services. Anyone can make your pitch deck pretty. But you need a startup veteran like myself to nail your pitch.
What pitch deck services do you offer?
Check out my services. It boils down to as little or as miuch help as you need. I work on an hourly basis so you only pay for what you need.
What kind of startups do you help?
My typical pitch deck clients are early-stage startups looking to raise their first or second round. While I am based in the United States, I have no geographic preference and am happy to help clients anywhere in the world. Recent clients includes B2B SaaS companies, web3 companies, and industrial product companies.
How much do you charge for a pitch deck?
You should budget $3,000-6,000. Anyone charging less is not taking the time required to understand your business pitch and work with you to make your pitch deck significantly better.
How long will it take you to build a pitch deck for me?
Depending on my workload and your availability, 2-4 weeks. I can sometimes do it faster depending on my workload and your availability.
What's your process?
There are 3 steps in my process. Step 1 is the Research step. I'll work with you to learn as much as I can about your business. Step 2 is the Blueprint step. I'll develop an initial version of your story in Google Sheets. The goal is to get the flow and words right without the distraction of slides. Step 3 is Deck step. I'll turn our finalized outline into slides.
How will we work together during the process?
I'll create a shared Google Doc with tabs for your deck outline, research links, competition info, and your financial model. We'll meet regularly on Zoom. And we'll set up a WhatsApp group for quick and efficient Q&A outside of our Zoom sessions.
How come some other companies charge less for a pitch deck?
I often ask that myself. Perhaps they spend less time than I do in learning your business and digging deep for the information investors need. Or perhaps they employ junior staff. All I can tell you is that my pricing is based on a reasonable fee for the time I expect to spend on your deck. As in all things, you get what you pay for.
I already have a pitch deck. I just want feedback. Can you help?
Yes. I charge by the hour. We cn review your current deck and work from there. If you've done most of the work, you'll only need a few hours from me to polish it up and make sure you've avoided common mistakes.
Will your pitch deck get my startup funded?
It depends. As I explain in my pitch deck guide, investors are looking for the highest returns with the least risk. So your chances of getting funding are directly tied to your startup's risk and return profile, which is something I cannot control.
What I can promise is I can help you build a pitch deck that proactively addresses the three common risk factors — namely, market risk, product risk, and execution risk — while also providing a realistic yet attractive financial model that promises superior investment returns.
Put another way, I'll help you deliver the best possible pitch with what you've got to work with. I'll also identify where you might have information gaps to plug before you approach investors. Those two things will not guarantee you get funded, but they'll make it more likely.
I've see several pitch deck templates. Why do I need your help to fill in the blanks?
Great question. Anyone can buy a recipe book. But it takes an expert chef to bring those recipes to life and create delicious meals that delight diners. If you're able to produce a great pitch deck from a template without any help from me or anyone else then great. But most founders don't build pitch decks for a living, so they inevitably waste time without expert guidance.
How important is pitch deck design?
Content is king. Deck design is icing on the cake. While your pitch deck must obviously look clean and professional, pitch deck design alone is not going to get you funded. When it comes to design, less is more. Investors care far more about your answers to their questions than your deck design. The best deck design enhances your content but does not dominate it. Take a look at AirBnB's classic pitch deck and note how its clean and simple design conveys professionalism without overpowering the pitch.
Will I have a say in my pitch deck's design?
Absolutely. I'll ask you to provide a visual style guide plus examples of deck designs you like. If you don't yet have a visual style guide, I'll use your website design as a proxy style guide.
Will I own the copyright to the pitch deck you build for me?
Yes. Our pitch deck consulting agreement will clearly state that my work product is your sole intellectual property.
Do you offer investor introductions?
Sorry, no. But I can give you some suggestions on where and how to build your target investor list.
Can I pay you with company stock?
Sorry, no.
Will you sign an NDA?
Sure, if you really think it's necessary. But know that most investors will not sign an NDA before reviewing a pitch deck.
Where are you located?
I'm in Newport Beach, CA, about an hour south of Los Angeles. I work on Pacific Time.
I'm interested. What's our next step?
Purchase one of my pitch deck services or contact me and let me know how I can help you.