For the past decade, I’ve invested in emerging tech startups as an angel investor. I was the first to back Reface, a viral face-swap video app that hit #1 in the US App Store in 2020 and later attracted funding from a16z. I also co-founded Roosh Ventures, an early-stage, entrepreneur-led VC firm that invests from Pre-Seed to Series A. We backed over 40 companies, including Oura, Pipe, and Gable.
I’ve heard many pitches from young founders and noticed that they keep making the same mistakes. Below are the 13 most common ones I see, and practical ways to fix each one.
1. Start with what you do — right away
One common mistake is that founders fail to clarify what they do. To avoid this, make your value proposition clear from the start. One effective strategy is to include a concise description of your product on the first slide.
Alternatively, structure your pitch around the problem-solution framework. First, highlight the specific pain points your customers are facing. Then, explain how your product addresses those challenges. This approach will help you align investors with your vision from the beginning.
2. Forget the “perfect” pitch order — lead with your strongest points
Yes, there’s such a thing as a general structure of a pitch. And to a certain extent, it’s correct. You should always start with a problem and your solution, and end with "the ask".
But, in reality, it’s more important to keep investors interested in your pitch than to follow the established rules. That’s why you should order slides from most impressive to least impressive, even if that means going against the playbook.
3. Tailor your pitch to your audience (not every VC is a specialist)
VC firms working in specific verticals (fintech, AI, or other) shouldn’t have issues understanding what you do if you pitch a solution in their area of expertise. But if you’re talking to a generalist VC, it’s best to assume they don’t share the same experience and won’t understand industry slang.
Always read the investment thesis of a VC before talking to them. If they’re generalist, use simple and straightforward language in your pitch. Avoid technical jargon unless you explain it beforehand.
4. Focus your team slide on credibility, not just story
While your personal story may be compelling, investors care more about the skills and experience that make you the right person to lead the project. Focus on the most relevant professional experience and, importantly, your team’s direct relation to the problem you’re solving. Whether it’s industry experience or a personal connection to the issue, this background can provide credibility.
Another key element to include on your team slide is social proof, specifically those who have already invested in you. If notable investors or funds have already committed, it speaks volumes about your startup’s potential.
5. Traction matters — and honesty matters even more
Traction is one of the most important slides of the pitch deck. Its goal is to prove that your team is capable of bringing results and learning from mistakes. In today’s highly competitive market, traction is more important than ever — VCs want evidence that your startup can grow, adapt, and capture real demand.
Don’t ignore traction even if you’re pre-launch. You can still show what you’ve achieved since you started and why it’s impressive. If you don’t have enough revenue or users, show failed tests, design iterations, and results from user feedback.
Some startups falsify the numbers, but I strongly advise against this. Because the truth will come out, and it won’t do you any good in the future. Reputation is important — you don’t want to be known as a founder who used fake numbers in their deck.
6. Don’t inflate market size — show how you calculated it
Many founders, even experienced ones, quote Statista in their pitch to show their market potential. They tend to pick the biggest numbers available, hoping to impress investors. But size without context doesn’t make your case stronger — it raises doubts.
Another common issue is confusion between TAM, SAM, and SOM. Founders often present them as simplified slices of a pie — TAM at the top, then SAM, then SOM. But without showing how these numbers were calculated, they don’t carry much weight.
Instead, use the bottom-up method for all three: TAM, SAM, and SOM. Start by estimating potential customers in each category and multiply by your pricing. Bottom-up modeling will keep your pitch grounded and give you a realistic view of the market based on what’s actually possible, not what looks best on a slide. It will also show that you know your space inside and out.
7. Always end with “the ask”
I once heard a great pitch from a team. They had all the experience, and their traction was really taking off. Then, the CEO ended her pitch with, “Thanks for your attention.” That’s all. She did say how much they were raising, but only at the beginning.
That’s a very common mistake. Founders often end their pitches without directly asking for money, which can lead to a missed opportunity. Always end your pitch with “the ask”: an explicit request for investors to fund your startup. Remind them how much you’re raising and how you’ll use the capital.
8. Make it a conversation, not a monologue
Too many pitches look like lectures where founders just talk and talk, often in a monotonous voice. This is a mistake. Your task during the pitch is to keep investors engaged. Even if you have the perfect product, if they lose interest, your chances of receiving funding go down.
One method I’ll mention is simple yet very effective: ask questions. It’s absolutely okay to stop pitching and ask the VCs if everything is clear, such as the product or market size. If investors are your product's target audience (unlikely, but), you can also ask them about that. For example, ask if they have experienced the issues or tried competitors.
9. Talk in milestones, not headcount
When founders discuss their plans, it’s one too often I have heard, “Hire more developers and salespeople.” This is a mistake because it shows that you do not have clear goals for your venture. Investors want to know what you’ll achieve with the funds, not who you want to hire. Explain your plans in terms of revenue and usage for the raised cash. Use this formula to justify why you need funding:
“We’re raising [this much money] to achieve [number of customers or revenue] within the next [time period].”
10. Transparency beats secrecy — always
This isn’t a common mistake, but I’ve seen it in some pitches. Some founders don’t want to disclose too many details about their business and have a short deck with very general info. These founders are usually afraid that the venture firm might share the deck with other VCs, who will then send it to the competitors.
I don’t recommend this approach. Don’t cut too many slides out of your deck, and don’t fear that your competitors will read it. Even if they see your hypothesis and vision, they won’t have all your insights and expertise. Because, as it’s often said in the industry, “idea is nothing, execution is everything.”
11. Skip the fancy design — go clean and clear
You don’t need a designer to prepare a presentation for your pitch. For the majority of VCs, the design of your pitch deck isn’t an important indicator. In many cases, fancy design achieves the opposite because it distracts investors from you and your speech.
Not having any design is also bad — you want your pitch to be visually neutral, but don’t make it full of graphs and long paragraphs of text. Your slides should be simple, with minimal text, and two visuals max on one slide.
12. Data without explanation is just noise
You build your product hypothesis with data, prove your traction with data, and show market potential with data. There’s a lot of data in your pitch, so make sure to explain what it means because investors won’t understand what you’re trying to say with data without guidance.
Yes, you might explain the graphs during your speech, but not having explanations in writing on the slide might be problematic. Always add conclusions to graphs and figures.
13. Paint a clear picture of the competition — and your edge
Most startups include a slide about competitors in their pitch, but they forget that investors don’t understand their industry as well as they do. As a result, founders often fail to adequately describe the competition in their sector.
That’s a problem because investors need to know the state of the competition in the market. Instead of logos and two axes, show an accurate competitor analysis with a table and highlight what sets you apart. Show whether similar products or services address the same problem and how your approach is more effective than theirs.
Final thoughts
I know you’re busy, and as a founder, you’re juggling a million things, but trust me, taking a bit of time to refine your pitch and fix these mistakes will make a world of difference in securing the funding you need.
Investors want to see clarity, confidence, and a realistic path forward — and that’s what these fixes will provide. In turbulent times like now, when markets are cautious and capital is harder to access, this kind of grounded thinking matters more than ever.
So take a day, go through your deck, and make the necessary changes. It’s not just about avoiding mistakes; it’s about showing investors that you know your business inside out. If you do this, you’ll set yourself apart from the majority of founders who are still making these errors.
Get your pitch right — and watch the funding come in. Good luck.
What to read, watch, and listen to
Take a look at these resources to improve your pitch and learn what top investors are looking for. Below are some excellent materials that offer insights for any early-stage founder.
