When does an investor really decide whether to lean in? For our Managing Partner, Brett Brohl, it often happens in the first 15 minutes of meeting a founder. In the first post of his new series - The Decision Curve - Brett breaks down the early signals he looks for - confidence (not arrogance), conviction, and coachability, and why they matter as much as any pitch deck slide. Founders, if you’ve ever wondered what’s going on in an investor’s head during those first moments, this one’s for you. https://lnkd.in/gkWtR3zM

𝗩𝗖𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗟𝗣𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿. Leyla Kunimoto (Accredited Investor Insights) didn’t sugarcoat it: ↳ If your fund thesis isn’t razor sharp, LPs walk. ↳ The middle-market squeeze is real — only the huge or the niche will survive. ↳ And continuation vehicles? Great for optics, risky for valuations. This is the LP perspective most GPs don’t hear - or maybe don’t want to. 🎧 New episode of Nothing Ventured out now.

💡I’ve been meeting with a lot of founders lately, and one theme keeps coming up: the power of a clear, simple story. You might know every detail of your tech or process, but if you can’t explain your product and why it matters to someone with zero background, you risk losing potential investors in the first 30 seconds (yes, I know, 30 seconds is not very long...) Great pitches don’t just inform the listener...they inspire. They capture attention right away and make people believe in the vision, even if they don’t know the industry inside out. Before your next investor conversation, ask yourself: **Could a friend outside my field repeat my product’s value back to me in one or two sentences?** If not, keep refining until they can. Psst: Accelerating Angels has a bootcamp coming up on November 7th to help with this if you are in Columbus. 😉 #StartupEcosystem #Founders #InvestorReadiness

💭 “Don’t take things at face value. Dig deeper into the claims founders make.” - Marc Cohen, Angel Investor & Partner at unbundled VC. One of the biggest lessons for new investors is learning to separate optimism from evidence. Every founder believes in their vision, and that’s a good thing. But great angels look beyond the pitch deck to understand what’s really driving traction, growth, and potential. As Marc says, the more you learn, the more you start to see patterns – and recognise what “good” truly looks like. 💡 Want to sharpen your investor instincts or learn how to start angel investing?  Explore expert insights, Q&As, and webinars designed to help you grow as an angel investor on the SeedLegals Investor Hub. 👉 And read Marc’s full interview via the link in the comments below! #AngelInvesting #InvestorInsights #SeedLegals

Raising capital isn’t based on luck. It’s a process you can design. In this episode of A VC, a Headhunter, and a Trainer Walk into a Bar, Justus Kilian (Space Capital), Matt Gjertsen (Better Every Day Studios), and Brian Mejeur (AdAstra Talent Advisors) unpack a disciplined approach to early-stage fundraising in the space economy: start prep 9 months ahead, define milestones, build investor relationships early, and engineer urgency and scarcity at launch. Tactics include warm intros led by the CEO, phased investor waves, “preempted term sheet” timing around big wins, strong legal counsel, and NVCA-standard docs. Watch the full episode for more insights into how to fundraise strategically as a new start-up: https://lnkd.in/d7M5cVnY

𝟗 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬. 𝟗 𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲 | 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟏 𝐨𝐟 𝟗 Every journey begins with a story. And for founders, that story often takes shape inside a pitch deck — the moment an idea first seeks belief, trust, and backing. Over the next 9 days, we’ll share 9 ways to transform decks into narratives that win investors' trust. We begin with our co-founder, Debleena Majumdar, on how to shape decks into investor-ready stories that spark confidence and momentum. #stokedWithstotio #9days9tips #investorReadypitchDeck #storyledPitchDeck #StoryledWithstotio #GrowthNarratives #GrowWithstotio

Navratri is a time for festivities, positivity, and new learnings. In that spirit, over the next 9 days, we’ll share insights from our journey with 500+ startup founders on how to: - Shape a pitch that’s truly investor-ready - Craft a story-led narrative that conveys your vision with clarity and authenticity - Lead the investor conversation with confidence, and win their trust Because your pitch isn’t just slides. It’s the story that carries your truth, and the bridge between your idea and the people who believe in it. In the first video of this series, Debleena Majumdar, co-founder stotio, discusses how to shape decks into investor-ready stories that spark confidence and momentum. #Navratri2025 #StartupLife #InvestorPitch #PitchDeck #Fundraising #FounderJourney #GrowthNarratives #stotio #StokedWithstotio

Here’s the single biggest mistake I see founders make in decks: over-explaining. One slide = one idea. If you try to squeeze 5 messages onto 1 slide, investors will remember none. Clarity is not about how much you add, it’s about how much you remove. If you’re pitching in 2025, trim the fat. Agree or disagree?

Your pitch deck introduces your vision; your updates prove your ability to deliver. Investors engage with compelling narratives, but they commit to founders who provide transparent, data-driven insights on growth, milestones, and execution. Combining a strong deck with consistent updates establishes credibility, builds trust, and drives long-term investor confidence. #StartupInsights #PitchDeckStrategy #InvestorConfidence #FounderLeadership #VentureCapital #BusinessExecution

At every conference I attend, I see the same pattern: founders hustle to meet VCs, but most conversations end right there — no second meeting. The truth is, a conference chat isn’t meant to close funding. It’s meant to spark curiosity and open the door for a real conversation later. Here are a few tips I share with founders we mentor at Big Sky Capital VC • Lead with clarity — if you can’t explain your business in one crisp sentence, you’ll lose attention. • Know your numbers — revenue, growth, burn rate should roll off your tongue. • Tell a story — investors remember the “why now” more than a product demo. • Ask smart questions — don’t just pitch endlessly; engage like a peer. And most importantly: • Leave them curious. Don’t overshare. Spark enough interest that they want the second call. • Follow up within 24 hours with a one-pager or short deck referencing your chat. • Be specific: ask to schedule a 30-minute call to dive deeper. Funding rarely comes from the first meeting. It comes from building momentum, step by step. At Big Sky Capital, we’ve seen founders who master this skill raise faster and on better terms.