124. The 6 Startup Pitches Every Founder Needs
Video version of The Six Startup Pitches Every Founder Needs
Most founders create one pitch deck and call it a day.
Big mistake.
The reality? You need six versions of your pitch, each crafted for a specific context. Some are verbal, some are visual, and one is written.
One of them, the self-guided deck, is the most important of all, yet it’s the one most founders skip.
Here’s how to make sure you’ve got the full set.
1. The Speed Run (3 minutes)
This is your demo day / pitch competition deck.
· Just the essence of your business.
· Focus on the problem/solution, opportunity, traction, and your superpower.
· Resist the urge to cram in as much as you can.
Slow down. Audiences only remember three things, so choose carefully.
2. The Spotlight (7 minutes)
Perfect for short investor meetings, accelerators, or showcases.
· Enough time for key aspects: model, strategy, validation.
· Flexible between 5–10 minutes.
· Still too short for fluff.
Keep it tight: make the point, show the slide, move on.
3. The Main Event (15 minutes)
Your full pitch for investor meetings.
· Covers every part of your business: problem, solution, go-to-market, team, traction, projections, etc.
· Should equip an investor to make a “yes/no to next step” decision.
· Plan for interruptions, investors love to dive into questions.
Remember: no one writes a check off the pitch alone. This gets you to the deeper conversation.
4. The Elevator Pitch (30 seconds)
The classic short verbal pitch with no slides.
· For conferences, mixers, or literal elevators.
· Hit opportunity size, need, differentiation, and traction.
Here’s how I would have pitched my own company, Anonymizer, post-pivot:
“I’m bringing spycraft to the internet. The intelligence community has no viable way to run clandestine operations online. We’ve developed that capability over a decade, already closed $2M in contracts, and hold the required clearances. It’s a billion-dollar greenfield opportunity.”
That’s 30 seconds, high-density, and natural. Practice until it flows.
5. The Cold Direct Message (under 100 words)
Your LinkedIn DM or investor intro email.
· No fluff, no paragraphs.
· Short intro + bullet-style highlights.
· Think of it as your written elevator pitch.
The only goal: get them to open the door to more information.
6. The Self-Guided Deck (the one most founders miss)
This is the deck you email ahead of or after a meeting. It is not the same as your live presentation deck.
Why? Because you won’t be there to explain it.
· Needs full context and explanations, not just headlines.
· Must survive both a skim pass and a deep read.
· Use headlines that make the point (“Our solution saves $10M annually”) rather than labels (“Problem”).
But don’t overcorrect. No walls of text. Keep it clean, scannable, and complete.
Too many founders use a wordy self-guided deck in live pitches (audiences stop listening and start reading) or a stripped-down live deck in email (which leaves investors confused).
Both fail. If you want funding, you need the right pitch for the right moment.
Building six versions of your pitch may feel like overkill, but each serves a critical role in moving investors from curiosity to conviction. Nail these, and you’ll dramatically increase your odds of breaking through the noise.
Next Steps
This is just the tip of the fundraising iceberg.
If you want to go deep into how to build a pitch deck that actually lands investment, check out my Pitch Deck Alchemy workshop. It’s a 90-minute hands-on workshop covering every detail of what works, what fails, and how to stand out.
