Written by Nathan Beckcord
Think of the first slide of your pitch deck as valuable real estate.
Every superhero needs an origin story. Robbie Crabtree's is a little closer to Atticus Finch than Spider-Man.
Before starting Founder Fundraising, Robbie spent seven years in the courtroom—We litigate everything from gang and cartel violence to villainous murders and child abuse. That's when he started using the term “competitive storytelling.” The term is now the name of Founder Fundraise's parent company. As any fan of courtroom dramas can attest, lawyers on both sides have to persuade with facts and appeal emotionally.
Founder Fundraise, whose mission is to empower startup founders during the fundraising process, helps entrepreneurs become “Chief Storytelling Officers” by honing their communication and connection skills with investors. train.
Read Robbie's take on crafting a memorable opening hook, shaping a narrative, and crafting a pitch deck while staying grounded throughout the process.
Share your journey with investors
Founder's story
First of all, Robbie says that the “founder story” (the personal story) and the “vision story” (the “what” and “why” about the company) are two different things.
Roby's own founder story came together when he was taught courtroom litigation skills and realized that honing his public speaking skills could make a big difference when closing deals. “Instead of living in the nightmare world that lawyers often have, I said: Would you like to live in a future where dreams are built?'' he explained, adding that founders and venture capitalists are both big dreamers. In 2020, he began sharing his hard-earned insights with other entrepreneurs, and Founder Fundraise was born.
In Robbie's experience, founders find themselves underutilizing their own journey. This is a big mistake. That's because most investors are betting not just on the product or company, but on the founders themselves.He believes a compelling origin story is the way to connect with investors and Start building a relationship based on strong trust.
Robbie advises starting your founder story by identifying what makes you special. How did you get to where you are now? Why are you interested in the specific problem your product solves?
“These seem like very simple questions, but founders can do very deep and meaningful work with them,” he says. Ultimately, Robbie says the founder's story shows three aspects of his personality and background: how he thinks, how he sees the world and his mind, and “how he feels and who he really is.” I will explain. “This creates a level of trust between founders and investors.”
If you don't know where to start, “start when you're 10 years old,” he suggests. (Ten years old is the age that reminds Robbie the most of his childhood.) Turn on your recorder, whether it's a video or audio recorder, and say the answer out loud. ” This tactic typically yields 20 to 60 minutes of his content, which is a concise, evocative, and unforgettable personal history.
your vision story
The second story is the “vision story.” This should focus on what Robbie says. emotional storytelling. “The vision story paints the picture,” he says. “Founders should not try to prove themselves.” right” Instead, Robbie explains, founders need to pique investors' curiosity and offer something more profound.If am I right? “
Ideally, you want potential funders to imagine themselves in a powerful position on the right side of history. The one who saw it coming. A person who gambles and wins.
But emotional storytelling isn't a step-by-step blueprint for getting from a fledgling startup to an IPO to a grand exit. Inevitably, every founder will experience pushback, opposition, and skepticism. This anecdote is meant to appeal to investors' deeper motivations. If they didn't want to make an impact (and make money), they wouldn't get into the venture capital game. So make your pitch big, bold and ambitious. “That gets venture capitalists excited to be part of this journey,” Roby says.
tell the story of two people
The founder story and vision story should work as two separate stories told independently, but Roby recommends structuring them so they can also be told as one story. . The founder's origin story is lead to A fascinating explanation of the bigger vision. It's very easy to make the transition between two stories seamless.
Roby says we've become acculturated to cliffhangers in movies and TV, and in the startup world, “we get investors to say, Please tell me more about that.He thinks this is a great way to “step down” from his personal story and jump into promoting the company itself.
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Complete your deck: Create a winning investor pitch
A persuasive pitch requires a well-crafted deck. But Robbie cautions against following a preset formula for this and other aspects of fundraising. Every founder and every company is different, so a cookie-cutter, fill-in-the-blank approach usually fails. A founder may have a personal story that ties directly to their startup's product or service. Another company may have a value proposition that is very relevant to the moment, a “why now” appeal that grabs investors' attention.
But Robbie has strong opinions about what the deck should (and shouldn't) do.
What to do: Start strong with an opening hook.
Think of the first slide of your pitch deck as valuable real estate. The first salvo must be engaging and fast. When we speak, we take about 3 to 5 seconds to arouse the audience's curiosity.
Another problem: Things that are too difficult to understand on their own. “If the first slide doesn't make sense, that's it,” says Robbie.
Don’t: Stick to a binary problem and solution.
The classic problem and solution structure is all too common. “[It] Sounds like every other founder,” Robbie points out. “And the most important thing in fundraising is to break through the noise and stand out.”
Things to do: Plant a flag
Use powerful, attention-grabbing declarative statements, rhetorical questions, shocking statistics, traction numbers, and even customer quotes early in your deck.
Don’t: Try to appeal to everyone.
“You have to create a filter,” Robbie says. “If this story is for everyone, then it's not for everyone. There's no way every investor would hear that and think, 'Oh, no. This is great. It's just not real. ”
What to do: Create a conspiracy.
Every slide should encourage investors to dig deeper. Please tell me more” Robbie recommends.
Don’t: Don’t use too much text.
Decks with too much text can be “distracting,” says Robbie. “If you're also talking, the human brain can't keep up.”
Presentation of proposal materials
The heading (or title) of each slide should serve to tell the story of the entire presentation. Even if you physically print out a deck and drop it on the ground, Robbie says anyone should be able to pick it up and put it back in the correct order by just looking at the headings.
The first slide typically contains your startup's one-line description or tagline. This is “very important to really get clarity,” Roby adds. “My favorite is one… 'We're like Mary Poppins, but for space.'” Although you may not know exactly what it is, , is enough to make you want to know more. (If you're also interested, this UK-based company helps manufacturers deliver goods using parachute-like devices.) '' says Robbie.)
Robbie admits this is a “very arbitrary approach”, but prefers to use the pitch deck as a “follow-on tool”. The first meeting between founders and potential funders should not be a sales pitch. Instead, founders should prepare investors to become their champions. they Storytelling as you move on to the next stage.
now it is perfect strategy.
About the author
Nathan Beckcord is CEO. foundersuite.com, creates software for startups raising capital.Nathan is also the CEO fundingstack.comis a new platform for VCs and investment bankers to raise capital and support their clients and portfolio companies. Users of these platforms have raised more than $9.7 billion since 2016.
Related: How to create a winning pitch deck for investors: Tips from a presentation coach
