You need to be able tell an engaging story if you’re looking to secure venture capital. What’s more, according to conventional wisdom, your story should be supported by a pitch-perfect deck, too. It’s up to you how many slides your deck should have and in what order. But the deck is unavoidable.
It is true that there are many people raising capital in the real world without ever using a deck. Two of these people were very interesting to me and I wanted to know how they achieved it.
Michal Cieplinski founded and invested in several successful companies before becoming the CEO of Fintech Startup Capstack. Today, he has refined his storytelling chops to the extent that he doesn’t use a deck at all.
Cieplinski says that by not using decks, you can be sure your startup will not be based solely on features but a true product. The perils associated with launching a business that relies on another product are many and dangerous, but in short, if the original product changes or is no longer available, then it’s bye-bye for your business.
It is important that your idea stands alone. Cieplinski says that if you are reliant upon a proprietary product for your business, it is often so difficult to convince potential investors of the value you offer. You will need to create a presentation.