We recently published an updated list of US based Micro-VCs and as of today, we count over 600 active firms. Unsurprisingly, for those fundraising, standing out from the pack is an increasingly difficult endeavor. As most Micro-VC’s don’t have the luxury of long and prolific investing track records, managers must convince prospective investors to invest only using limited data points and projections to support a given thesis. One of the key documents in any fundraising is a pitch deck. A well-constructed pitch deck can create an instant visceral engagement with the reader through clear deliverance of a narrative. Having reviewed 350+ venture fund pitch decks over the past few years, very few effectively convey the message the manager intends. Of course, a great deck isn’t a direct guaranteed pathway to an allocation, but it sure does improve the probability of one. It also presents a manager with an opportunity to fine tune/stress a pitch and potentially initiate positive momentum going into an investor call. While decks are bespoke by design, there are some basic tips we think may be helpful to consider when putting together a fundraising venture fund pitch deck. Content An effective pitch deck clearly articulates why the manager has an opportunity to be a consistent outlier performer (for seed funds, outlier performance typically refers to 3X or above cash on cash return). As such, the deck should tangibly address the following: a. Why the firm will have access to the most interesting companies and entrepreneurs within the thesis. b. Why the firm will win the most competitive opportunities. c. What makes the team uniquely positioned to execute the outlined thesis. In addressing the items above, it’s imperative that the content be inclined toward the specific formula the firm employs for each versus basic anecdotes or generalizations. Understand that LPs are carefully evaluating how the puzzle pieces specifically fit when determining the strength of model versus others. -Resist the urge to include proclamations or promises of fund performance (i.e. “5x target returns). Such statements carry little weight for LPs, and often infer manager naïveté. -In certain cases, a competitive positioning slide may serve helpful in framing for investors where you “fit in” within the seed stage landscape while concurrently demonstrating keen comprehension of the competitive landscape. -Slides with a large list of advisors rarely hit the bulls-eye, particularly for sophisticated LPs — Name brand advisor slides feel like vanity slides while a long list of non-name brand advisors doesn’t carry much impact. If you must include advisors, simply include a smaller group of network relationships that are truly meaningful to the story. A well thought out advisor slide illustrates why certain advisors are critical to the firm by conveying...

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