♞ Building Support Network

In partnership with

Hey All,

As I move away from full-time consulting towards more investing, I wanted to run an idea past everyone.

I am considering launching a pitch deck creation service. Here is how it would work:

1. You complete a questionnaire and share all the details my team needs to create your deck

2. My designers send you three slides of your deck (full designed) for you to approve the design + I send you my recommended narrative for the deck.

3. You provide feedback on the design and narrative.

4. Based on the feedback, we finalize the deck for you.

5. I’ll send you the completed deck. As a bonus, you’ll get additional template slides that you can use if you need to adjust the deck in the future, and I’ll send a video of me personally going through the deck explaining how I would pitch the company, which slides you should focus on, where you can make changes on the fly based on investor reactions/response, etc.

If you are interested in being a part of the “trial period” for this new service, then reply to this email. Everyone I can accommodate who replies to this email within 72 hours will get the service for $2995 if they use it within the next two months.

Building Support Network

One thing that many founders overlook when planning their raise is the importance of a support network. When you hear the success stories of many YC companies, they include how much they leaned on YC partners and cohort members to help them get through the hardest of times.

The reality is that fundraising is hard and you hear 100s of rejections while you wait for that one YES! This process can be mentally and physically exhausting at times and having a network is really key to being able to have the longevity required to stay in the game long enough to keep you going.

Here are a few suggestions for how you can quickly and instantly build a network that will help you succeed.

1. Hire an advisor - If you have a great company, then many advisors will happily join for an equity stake and a smaller financial sum. I personally have advisory agreements with some startups that I really truly love and believe in where they pay me $400/month + equity for 2 hours per month of my time. This means that every second week, we can jump on a call and re-strategize, get them re-invigorated, excited, motivated and ready to take more VC meetings. For many of these founders, that call with someone who isn’t their employee, investor, co-founder, family, or friend, who all have different expectations of the person, gives them a chance to just be themselves and talk through their problems. It ends up being as much of a therapy session at times as it is a strategy one but that is alright, mindset is important, without the right one, it’s hard to raise.

2. Meet other founders - I’ve found that having friends who are not involved in your company but are going through the same process is very beneficial. By entering an accelerator, going to co-working spaces or networking events you can meet many founders. These founders will have many of the same insights, problems and experiences as you. They will help you prepare your pitch, be there to grab a drink when you get rejected, it’s a unique relationship that can’t be replicated.

3. Family/Friends - When you are fundraising, you NEED to understand the impact this will have on your personal relationships and ask for help. These people will need to be accommodating and supportive. At times, the weight of expectations will make the relationships with your co-founders, investors and employees difficult, and you can’t rely on them for support; in these instances, family/friends are the next best option.

A support network is key because it's often the difference between companies that get rejected 50 times and give up after 3 months and the companies that get rejected 200 times but raise after 9 months. Being able to stay in the game long enough to get a yes is vital and the best way to do that is with a strong support network.

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Are you looking to grow your business? Here is how I can help:

📢 Promote your startup to 2,000+ VCs including investors from a16z, YC, Techstars, Rarebreed, Sequoia and more.

📱 Book a Strategy Call to get 1:1 feedback on your pitch, pitch deck and/or fundraising strategy. (If you need general startup advice, then reply to this email, and I’ll let you know if/how I can help.)

📺 Access FundraiseOS, the ultimate fundraising course with video lessons and practical worksheets helping with everything from deciding how much to raise to understanding a term sheet.

💸 Promote your product or service to 100,000+ entrepreneurs.

🌐 Connect with me on LinkedIn or X (formerly Twitter) to get access to new content about startups, fundraising, venture capital and more every day.

Onwards and Upwards,

Liam Gill