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Fundraising, decoded.

Insights on seed-stage fundraising, VC meetings, and startup evaluation.

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Pitch Deck Examples for Startups (and What Investors Actually Look at on Each Slide)
David Rakusan ·

Pitch Deck Examples for Startups (and What Investors Actually Look at on Each Slide)

Most pitch deck guides show you what a great deck looks like. This one shows what investors actually read on each slide. Behavioral data from 30,000+ investor sessions, the slide-by-slide framework, and the proof signals that separate decks that move forward from decks that get a polite reply. Includes a 11-slide comparison table, a working redesign checklist, and the structural fix for the question-repetition trap that decks alone cannot solve.
pitch deck fundraising startup seed round pre-seed investor relations pitch deck examples vc pitch founder guide pitch deck template startup fundraising
We Analyzed 4,690 Founder Posts About Fundraising. The #1 Problem Isn't Rejection.
David Rakusan ·

We Analyzed 4,690 Founder Posts About Fundraising. The #1 Problem Isn't Rejection.

Original research across 4,690 founder posts on LinkedIn, X, Reddit, and Quora. Timeline drag is the #1 pain in seed-stage fundraising, ahead of rejection, deck feedback, and investor ghosting combined. Here is what founders themselves say is breaking them.
founder pain points founder fundraising challenges fundraising research original research founder burnout fundraising delays fundraising seed stage startup fundraising founder playbook venture capital founder data
How to Answer Difficult VC Questions: A Founder's Field Guide for 2026
David Rakusan ·

How to Answer Difficult VC Questions: A Founder's Field Guide for 2026

Difficult VC questions are proof tests, not traps. When a partner asks how you found your first ten customers or what breaks if a competitor copies you, they are checking whether the claims in your deck hold up under pressure. This guide breaks down the four categories of hard questions you will actually face in a 2026 seed meeting, why rehearsed answers fail, and how to build a proof layer that turns interrogation into validation. Written by a founder who spent 7 years on the investor side.
hard investor questions VC pitch prep fundraising seed stage founder playbook investor objections due diligence proof layer VC meeting prep startup fundraising pitch coaching difficult VC questions
What VCs Actually Ask in the First 3 Meetings (And What They're Really Testing)
David Rakusan ·

What VCs Actually Ask in the First 3 Meetings (And What They're Really Testing)

An ex-VC breaks down the questions investors ask across the first three meetings, what each one is really testing, and where most founders lose the deal. Updated August 2026 with the real deal-funnel numbers from the Gompers survey, corrected diligence data from Fu and Taylor, and 2025 Carta data on the widening gap between seed and Series A.
vc meetings fundraising venture capital pitch meeting due diligence seed round investor questions founder guide term sheet startup fundraising vc process investor relations