Founders often ask what I want to see in a pitch. The honest answer is that the slides are a way to start a conversation. What I’m listening for sits underneath them.
A problem the founder knows firsthand
The strongest teams I’ve backed didn’t find their problem in a market report. They lived with it, worked around it, or watched customers struggle with it for years. That kind of knowledge shows up in the details: who buys, who blocks the purchase, and what the current workaround costs.
Evidence of speed
I don’t expect much traction at the earliest stage. I do expect movement. What did the team learn in the last month? What did they change because of it? A small team that ships, listens and adjusts every week will usually outrun a larger one that doesn’t.
A market that can grow with the company
A great product in a market that can’t get bigger will stall. I want to understand why this market will be larger in ten years than it is today, and why this company is positioned to take a meaningful share of it.
Founders who can hear “no”
Every company goes through stretches where nothing works. I pay attention to how founders respond to hard questions in our first conversations, because that’s a preview of how we’ll work together when things get difficult.
What I don’t need
I don’t need a perfect financial model or a polished brand. I need to believe the team understands the problem better than anyone else in the room, and that they’ll keep learning faster than the market changes.
