2025 shaped up to be a year on the rise for venture capital. Investments continued to grow, with almost $100 billion invested in Q3 2025, a nearly 40% increase compared to Q3 2024.
But as I wrote in my last post, the seed market trends more selective. The barrier to entry for earlier rounds is much higher than it was in years past, which means your deck needs to work harder than ever.
After reviewing thousands of decks this year, here are the 25 things the startup world should leave behind in 2025 when it comes to investor presentations:
- Overly complex financials – A deck is meant to highlight a story, not serve as a data dump. Keep it simple and focus on key metrics.
- Too much text – An overly busy slide detracts from its impact. Communication must be succinct. Use bullet points and visuals instead that easily communicate the information.
- No clear problem statement – If I can’t immediately understand the problem you’re solving, your solution won’t matter. Lead with clarity, not mystery.
- Unrealistic projections – Overhyping and inflating projections may look exciting, but experienced investors see right through them. Be conservative and realistic. Credibility beats optimism every time.
- No competitive analysis – Show you know your competition. Pretending you exist in a vacuum doesn’t inspire confidence, nor is it realistic. Demonstrate an understanding of the marketplace.
- Competitive landscapes with missing major competitors – Your deck doesn’t just need a competitive analysis; it needs to accurately represent the market. Make sure you’ve included all of the relevant players. Don’t be the startup that omits the 800-pound gorilla in your market. And please, never claim: “We have no competition.”
- Too many slides – Some investors review thousands of decks a year. Your deck needs to keep this in mind. It’s important to make an impression within a short timeframe. Keep it concise, 10-15 slides at a maximum.
- Excessive text or dense paragraphs If I can’t skim each slide in 3–5 seconds, it’s too much. Every slide should pass the glance test. See point number 2 on too much text.
- No unique value prop – Tell me exactly what sets you apart in a way that’s defensible and meaningful.
- Poor design – How you present your information matters. You don’t need a design agency, but you do need professionalism. Sloppy slides suggest sloppy execution. Keep it professional and visually appealing.
- No traction or progress – Ideas are cheap; execution is everything. Show me what you’ve achieved. Having a track record is essential to making an impression.
- Unclear business or inexistent model – A great idea that can’t make money is a hobby, not a business. Explain how you generate revenue.
- No market size or potential – Investors need to see the path to meaningful scale. Showing the potential for growth, coupled with a proven business model, is critical.
- No team bios – Investors back people as much as ideas. Make sure you highlight key team members.
- A team slide without context – Don’t just list names and titles. Tell me why each person is uniquely qualified to execute this specific vision.
- No contact info – This seems basic, but you’d be surprised. Always include clear contact information to make it easy to get in touch.
- Unrealistic market size – “$10T market, we just need 1%.” Quoting an audacious market size signals you don’t understand segmentation or customer acquisition. Do your research to properly size your addressable market.
- More than one idea / product in the pitch – A deck must tell one clear, sharp story. Don’t use it to pile on a portfolio of businesses that are seeking investment. If you’re pitching multiple businesses, you’re pitching none of them well.
- Vanity metrics – “500% growth in website visits.” It might be an impressive number, but if it doesn’t pertain to revenue or market share, it’s just noise. Stick to KPIs that demonstrate real traction.
- Buzzword soup (AI + Blockchain + Metaverse + Web3 = ???) – Filling a deck with buzzwords and trendy words screams inauthenticity. If you need more than two buzzwords to describe what you do, start over.
- Overly technical explanations – Leave the technical speak for your engineering team. Your investor pitch needs to be accessible, especially on the problem or product slides. This is not a whitepaper.
- Traction slides with percentages only – “300% growth” means nothing without context. Growing from 10 to 30 users is very different from 10,000 to 30,000.
- Hidden or confusing pricing model – If I can’t understand how you make money within 10 seconds of looking at your business model slide, that’s a red flag.
- NDA requests – Investors will not sign them. Asking for them signals you don’t understand how fundraising works.
- A vague or missing “ask” slide – Be crystal clear: how much are you raising, what will you use it for, and how long will it last? Ambiguity here kills momentum.
