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- ♞ Don't refuse to share decks
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Increasingly, I am seeing founders who refuse to share their pitch decks with investors. This is a trend that seems to be gaining some traction, as many founders seemingly want this to become the norm.
I’m going to explain from an investor’s standpoint why this won’t benefit you or your company and why I would never advise a client to do this.
Lack of respect - VCs get dozens or hundreds of people reaching out per week. If you don’t have the decency to send a deck with some basic information, then it's completely unreasonable to assume they will put aside 15 minutes of their time to talk to you. It’s not just a lack of respect for the VC whose time you are wasting, but a lack of respect for yourself and your company that you don’t want to give yourself the best chance to raise.
Deceitful - Investors will assume that you are trying to hide something. There is no way around this, its going to be the natural instinct of 90% of VCs when you are trying to get a meeting without giving them information about the company.
Shoppers are adding to cart for the holidays
Over the next year, Roku predicts that 100% of the streaming audience will see ads. For growth marketers in 2026, CTV will remain an important “safe space” as AI creates widespread disruption in the search and social channels. Plus, easier access to self-serve CTV ad buying tools and targeting options will lead to a surge in locally-targeted streaming campaigns.
Read our guide to find out why growth marketers should make sure CTV is part of their 2026 media mix.
Execution Risk - If you don’t share your deck because you are scared that someone will steal your idea, then I automatically assume that there is serious execution risk with the business. You shouldn’t care about someone stealing your idea because you should be the best person to execute the idea. Startups are 90% about execution, and if you don’t believe you are the best to execute, then most VCS won’t care to back you.
Avoiding Feedback - If you don’t share your data and information, then you can’t get honest feedback. If you are trying to avoid feedback, then what game are you playing? You are sacrificing everything to build a company, but don’t want to hear how you can do it better? This just hurts you.
There is no benefit whatsoever to hiding your deck. You should always be open to sharing your deck and trust that you will always be the best positioned to take advantage of the opportunity that it presents.
Do you share your deck? |
Shoppers are adding to cart for the holidays
Over the next year, Roku predicts that 100% of the streaming audience will see ads. For growth marketers in 2026, CTV will remain an important “safe space” as AI creates widespread disruption in the search and social channels. Plus, easier access to self-serve CTV ad buying tools and targeting options will lead to a surge in locally-targeted streaming campaigns.
Read our guide to find out why growth marketers should make sure CTV is part of their 2026 media mix.
Are you looking to grow your business? Here is how I can help:
📱 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.)
Onwards and Upwards,
