Pitch Deck Nick Telson

Annelie Ajami, founder of Anamcara Ventures, shares insights on what she looks for in pre-seed startups and how founders can impress investors. She emphasizes the importance of the founding team, including their domain expertise, unique insights, narrative, technical capabilities, and clarity of thought. She also discusses the significance of a founder's motivation and determination. Annelie highlights the value of warm introductions and resourcefulness in getting in touch with investors. When it comes to pitch decks, she suggests focusing on the problem, solution, market, team, business model, and round being raised, and keeping the deck short and concise.
Keywords
pre-seed, venture capital, founding team, domain expertise, unique insights, narrative, technical capabilities, warm introductions, pitch deck
Takeaways

The founding team is crucial in pre-seed investments, with factors such as domain expertise, unique insights, narrative, technical capabilities, and clarity of thought being important considerations.A founder's motivation and determination are key indicators of their potential success.Warm introductions and resourcefulness can greatly increase the chances of getting in touch with investors.Pitch decks should focus on the problem, solution, market, team, business model, and round being raised, and should be kept short and concise.
Titles

The Value of Warm Introductions and ResourcefulnessMotivation and Determination: Key Indicators of Success
Sound Bites
"I love founders that have something to prove."
"Yes, it's definitely happened more than once that when I speak to founders, my heart starts beating faster."
"There's this bias against that type of setup."
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Annelie Ajami and Anamcara Ventures
01:16 The Importance of the Founding Team in Pre-Seed Investments
10:42 The Value of Warm Introductions and Resourcefulness
14:10 Pitch Deck Essentials: Problem, Solution, Market, Team, Business Model, and Round


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In this episode of Pitch Deck, Nick Telson-Sillett, founder of trumpet, interviews Peter Nixey, an operator, investor, and AI expert. Peter shares his interest in businesses with clear value propositions and emphasizes the importance of solving real problems that people are willing to pay for. He also discusses his venture builder, Inaugural, which focuses on creating AI companies. Peter explains the different layers of AI and the potential for builders to create applications on top of AI models. He highlights the value of AI in specific verticals and provides insights into the key elements of a pitch deck, including clarity of message and specific storytelling.
Takeaways
Focus on businesses with clear value propositions and solve real problems that people are willing to pay for.
Consider the different layers of AI, including base models, builders creating applications on top of models, and traditional machine learning.
Explore AI use cases in specific verticals, particularly in unattractive jobs that are repetitive and can't be easily automated.
When creating a pitch deck, prioritize clarity of message, take investors on a journey, and tell specific stories about what you're building.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
01:03 Interest in Businesses with Clear Value Propositions
06:26 Inaugural: A Venture Builder for AI Companies
10:36 Different Layers of AI
13:45 Builders on Top of AI Models
20:41 Key Elements of a Pitch Deck
24:17 Anecdote from Paul Graham
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Summary
In discussion with Nick Telson-Sillett, founder of trumpet, with Fred Soneya, an operator turned VC, discusses his approach to pre-seed investing and what he looks for in early-stage companies. He focuses on investing in businesses that have identified a pain in the present and are starting to identify a buyer who is willing to pay for a solution. Fred emphasizes the importance of understanding the market, defining the ideal customer profile, and having a revenue-driven mindset. He also discusses the value of vertical SaaS companies and the need for innovation and go-to-market strategies. When evaluating founders, Fred looks for grit, determination, and a deep understanding of their business. He advises founders to approach relevant funds with personalized outreach and to create pitch decks that are short, aesthetically pleasing, and designed to generate intrigue.
Takeaways
Invest in businesses that have identified a pain in the present and are starting to identify a buyer who is willing to pay for a solution.
Understand the market, define the ideal customer profile, and have a revenue-driven mindset.
Vertical SaaS companies offer value by going deep into a specific industry and becoming the fundamental platform for that vertical.
Grit, determination, and a deep understanding of the business are key qualities to look for in founders.
Approach relevant funds with personalized outreach and create pitch decks that are short, aesthetically pleasing, and designed to generate intrigue.
Sound Bites
"Investing in businesses that have identified a pain in the present."
"Vertical SaaS is about going deep into a domain and building an end-to-end SaaS product for that market."
"Gritty founders who understand their business end to end."
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Summary
Kirsten Connell, an investor at Octopus Ventures, shares insights on pre-seed investing and what investors look for in startups. She discusses the importance of traction and metrics at the seed stage, but notes that pre-seed investments are less impacted by this shift. She emphasizes the need for exceptional founders who have identified a real need, can build an MVP, and have a clear plan to take their product or service to market. Kirsten also discusses the challenges and opportunities in B2C startups, the importance of founder-market fit, and the impact of competition on investment decisions.
Keywords
pre-seed investing, traction, metrics, exceptional founders, MVP, go-to-market, B2C startups, founder-market fit, competition
Takeaways

Investors are more focused on traction and metrics at the seed stage, but pre-seed investments are less impacted by this shift.Exceptional founders who have identified a real need, can build an MVP, and have a clear plan to take their product or service to market are highly sought after.In B2C startups, it's important to have a strong value proposition and a clear understanding of the market and route to market.Founder-market fit is crucial, whether the founder has first-hand experience in the industry or is passionate about solving a problem.Competition is a factor to consider, but it's not the sole reason to bow out of investing. Other factors such as market size, product roadmap, and business model should also be taken into account.When reaching out to investors, a warm introduction from another founder can be more effective than a cold outreach. Concise and visually appealing pitch decks that highlight the founder's standout qualities and the size of the opportunity are more likely to capture investors' attention.
Titles
The Importance of Founder-Market Fit
The Shift in Expectations for Seed Rounds
Sound Bites
"You're still looking for an exceptional founder who's identified a real need, can build an MVP, and has got line of sight of how they're going to take that product or service to market."
"Founders who truly understand their route to market and have a deep understanding of their early adopters are more likely to succeed."
"In B2C startups, building a strong brand and ensuring product retention are key challenges."
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Kirsten Connell
03:24 What Investors Look for in Pre-Seed Startups
08:52 Challenges and Opportunities in B2C Startups
12:38 The Importance of Founder-Market Fit
23:37 Tips for Reaching Out to Investors and Creating Pitch Decks

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Pitch Deck is coming back! Some news from Nick about what is round the corner for the re-booted Pitch Deck.

Pitch Deck is sponsored by trumpet

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Jay is a serial entrepreneur and has founded 3 successful businesses worth over $500m: Yieldify, Reachdesk & Screenloop
He now spends his time in 3 areas: (1) Building tech companies through his startup studio Blissgrowth (2) Co-hosting the podcast Happy Millionaire - which is in the top 10 in Apple and Spotify: It's 2 friends having fun and talking about startups, success and happiness stories  (3) Angel investing - he has done 40 deals so far.
His passion is to bring more joy to work and loves talking about entrepreneurship, happiness whilst having fun.
Episode Links:
Sponsored by trumpet - turning better buyer journeys into more revenue
Blissgrowth
Reachdesk
Screenloop
Jay's Linkedin


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