Module 01 · The fundraising deck~8s dwell · weight 8
Cover / Purpose
Define the company in a single declarative sentence a stranger could repeat. Harder than it looks, and the first filter of the three-slide test.
Include
- Company name + one clear line on what you do (verb, user, outcome)
- A clean, legible cover, no buzzword salad
- Contact info so a warm reader can act (email + a demo or site URL)
- Stage + city if it clarifies the pitch (e.g. 'Pre-seed · Berlin')
Cut
- Taglines that require decoding ('reimagining synergy for X')
- Mission-statement abstraction on slide one
- 'As seen in' logos before you have real traction
- Stock photography behind a wordmark
Red flags a reader notices
- Reader can't repeat what you do after one read
- Jargon in the first 10 words
- No contact info anywhere on the deck
Pitfalls behind them
- The tagline is a mission statement, not a description of what you sell.
- The company name is set in a display font that reads as a logo, not a category.
- Everything on the slide could be pasted into any competitor's cover.
60-second self-test
- · Read your cover to someone outside your category and ask them to repeat it, if they hesitate, rewrite.
- · Cover your logo with a finger, does the remaining sentence still name the company?
Template
[Company]: [verb] [specific user] [specific outcome], instead of [status quo].
Weak
"NexusFlow: reimagining synergistic hospitality experiences for the modern traveler."
Strong
"Airbnb: book rooms with locals, rather than hotels."
Concrete verb ('book'), named user ('locals'), and a familiar reference point ('hotels'). A stranger repeats it back verbatim.
Quick quiz
Pick an answer. Nothing is graded, and correct answers stay hidden until you choose.
1. Which cover line is stronger?
2. Investors spend roughly how long on the cover slide on average?