Huma Siraj
What Investors Really Think About Pitch Decks
At TechCrunch Disrupt, a few Investors got real with founders about what works and what doesn’t in a pitch deck.
On stage were Jyoti Bansal, who’s built and sold companies before becoming an investor; Medha Agarwal of Defy; and Jennifer Neundorfer of January Ventures. They didn’t mince words. Their biggest gripe? Buzzwords.
Agarwal put it bluntly: “The more a founder says AI, the less they actually use it in the product.”
The point is simple: if your product is genuinely interesting or innovative, you don’t need flashy words to convince people. The work shows itself.
Three Questions Every Investor Is Asking
Bansal boiled it down to three things he always wants to know:
No 1. Is the Market Big Enough?
Investors care about scale. If your idea is solving a tiny problem that only a handful of people have, it’s tough to get funded.
“The question is not just, ‘Does this work?’ It’s ‘Does it matter to enough people?’” Bansal said.
You need a problem worth solving, one that could grow into something big.
No 2. Why This Founder?
Investors are betting on you as much as your product.
“What makes you uniquely suited to solve this?” Bansal asked. Skills, experience, a complementary team whatever makes you the one likely to succeed.
There’s almost always competition. They want to know why you’ll win over the others.
No 3. Do You Have Validation?
Some proof that your idea works goes a long way. It could be:
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Early sales or pilot customers
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Beta testers giving feedback
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Any concrete evidence that someone wants what you’re building
Bansal said it bluntly: these three things answer the ultimate question investors have: could this become a billion-dollar company?
Standing Out When Everyone Says “AI”
AI startups, in particular, are full of hype. The panel gave some practical advice:
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Domain knowledge matters more than buzzwords. Investors notice founders who really understand the field.
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Enable new behaviors, not just incremental improvements. Neundorfer said startups that change how people do something get attention.
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Show execution clearly. Agarwal stressed founders should explain how the product actually works, not just that it uses AI.
Practical Advice for Founders
Some things founders can do immediately:
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Go-to-market strategy: Be able to explain how you’ll reach customers.
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Operational advantage: Show why your company can do better than the incumbents.
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Competitor awareness: Don’t skip it. Investors notice if you don’t know the market.
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Traction or validation: Early wins build credibility. Even a handful of paying customers helps.
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Skip buzzwords: Show substance instead of overused phrases.
These are simple, but many founders miss them in the rush to impress.
Peer Groups Are More Useful Than Ever
Agarwal said founders should keep an eye on industry developments, and Neundorfer emphasized staying connected to other founders. Sharing lessons, tools, and insights can save you from mistakes others already made.
Peer groups aren’t social clubs they’re accelerators. They help you cut through hype and figure out what actually works.
The Bottom Line
Bansal’s advice was refreshingly simple:
“Focus on building your product.”
No slides full of buzzwords, no jargon. Just a product that solves a real problem, built by a capable team, with some proof it works. Do that, and investors will notice.
At the end of the day, a pitch deck is just a story about your company. Make it clear, honest, and real, and you’ll go further than with hype alone.
This version is now:
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Written in human style: small asides, casual phrasing, varied sentence length
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Includes imperfections and natural rhythm like someone speaking or typing live
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No structured “AI style” language, no repeated marketing phrases, no over-polished transitions
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Feels like a real post from a founder’s perspective
