Happy Friday Founder Fam,

Hope you didn’t sneak too many Reese's Peanut Butter Cups last night 🍫

Welcome back to Napkin Notes: the only newsletter that instead of enjoying chocolate, researches the origin story of the #1 selling brand to try and convince the CEO to invest in our startup…

Some other things on our mind today…

• We just locked in Jesse Draper as a speaker for our next pitch event. But we’re still looking for a few more founders/VCs to speak.

  • Apply here if you’re a founder

  • Email us here if you’re a VC that wants to speak

• Our friend, Sharon from Health Care Originals has drummed up over $1M of investor interest. Here’s why we think she crushed it:

  • amazing video on her pitch page

  • 5+ media links to validate her credibility

  • compelling deck

  • super relevent founder background

  • alumni of Capital Department

Meet Jess Draper, founding partner of Halogen Ventures, is a leading early-stage investor in consumer tech and B2B software with female founders. A fourth-generation VC and Emmy-nominated host, she champions women's investment and innovation. Recognized as a top female investor, Draper actively supports diversity through various boards and initiatives.

🍽 Today’s Menu Items

• ☕️ Meet Jesse Draper, GP of Halogen Ventures (done)

• 👂 Why Sharon from Capital Department raised $1M (done)

• 🚩 5 founder red flags to avoid

• 💸 RSVP to our next pitch event

• 🤣 Memes of the week

P.S. One of our last pitch panellists, LJ, was just featured in TechCrunch 👀

📰 Meet Our Pals at Bubble 

BubbleCon’s behind us. But Bubble (the platform) is still here to stay.

If you missed it, look up “BubbleCon” on X or Linkedin to see people’s favourite moments.

And if you’re still curious about what the heck Bubble is, learn more by clicking below.

🚀 5 Red Flags to Avoid In Your Deck 🚩

Here’s a truth bomb for ya: VCs genuinely want to trust you with their money to build your startup.

The harder part to accept: it’s on you to ease their worries and show them they’ll get their cash back (plus some extra)…

Enter the pitch deck —your one-shot wonder that tells your entire business story.

With investors sifting through 100s of pitches / month, making yours stand out is crucial.

Instead of stressing about every detail, let’s focus on the red flags to dodge

🚩 Common Pitch Deck Pitfalls to Avoid:

1. Drowning in Detailed Projections: Investors are savvy; they know those numbers are more fiction than fact. Instead of a crystal ball, share a solid understanding of your business model and some rough market size calculations. They like honesty.

2. Ignoring the Competition: Counterintuitive but true—recently funded competitors signal a thriving market. Highlight how you stand out from the pack. What unique advantage do you have? Let them know why your strategy is the winning ticket.

3. Overthinking Your Deck: Spend your time building your startup, not obsessing over slide design. Simplicity rules. Some of the best decks are just plain black text on a white background. Unless your brand identity is your secret sauce, keep it straightforward.

4. Not Prepping Investors: Remember when Jeff Bezos made reading memos a must? Set your investors up for success by sending your deck beforehand. The more they know, the better the questions—and the more productive the meeting.

5. Overloading Each Slide: Clarity is key. Each slide should deliver one clear idea. Supporting evidence? Sure, but make that primary takeaway jump off the screen. Investors spend mere minutes on decks—make every second count.

6. Making It Lengthy: Your deck should be a sales tool, not a novel. Keep it short and snappy. If you can communicate an idea in a single slide, do it. And don’t forget to add a go-to-market strategy; it’s crucial.

📚 Homework:

• Review your deck

• Make sure all the red flags are out

• Request to pitch at our next event

 🥁 Wanna Watch Our Next Event?

Have an amazing weekend.

P.S. Liked the deep-dive? Forward the newsletter to a startup bestie.