Before You Pitch: The Funding Checklist Every Founder Needs

You've secured the meeting. A top-tier investor has agreed to hear your pitch. The opportunity is real, and the clock is ticking.

Now for the gut-check question: If you had to pitch tomorrow, would you be truly ready, or would you be caught off-guard by the tough questions lurking beneath the surface?

A great idea and a slick deck are just the entry fee. What separates the prepared from the amateur is a meticulous, behind-the-scenes readiness. Over years of working with founders, I've developed a concrete checklist to ensure no critical element is left to chance.

Use this exact checklist to pressure-test your startup before you step into the room.

The Founder's Pre-Pitch Checklist

Category 1: Your Numbers & Metrics (The Proof)

Core Financials: You can recite last month's revenue, burn rate, and gross margin without looking.

Key Metrics: You have your top 5 KPIs (e.g., MRR, LTV, CAC, Churn, Activation Rate) memorised and can explain any movement in them.

The Model: Your financial model is clean, logical, and can withstand a 15-minute "stress test" on your assumptions.

Traction Slide: You have a clear, compelling traction graph showing a strong upward trend.

Category 2: Your Story & Market (The Vision)

The Problem: You can describe your customer's pain point so vividly that the investor feels it.

The Solution: You can explain what you do in one, jargon-free sentence.

Market Size: You can confidently articulate your TAM, SAM, and SOM and defend your numbers.

The Competition: You have a simple matrix that clearly shows your unique differentiation, and you can speak respectfully but confidently about competitors.

Category 3: Your Team & Execution ( The Engine)

Team Gaps: You can honestly state the 1-2 key roles you need to hire for, given the funding, and why they are critical.

The "Why Us": You have a compelling reason for why your specific team is the right one to solve this problem.

Cap Table: Your cap table is clean, understandable, and doesn't have any hidden red flags.

Category 4: The Ask & The Future (The Deal)

The Ask: State the exact amount you're raising and the specific round (e.g., Seed, Pre-Seed).

Use of Funds: You have a detailed, credible 18-month plan for how every dollar will be spent, broken down into clear categories (e.g., 50% engineering, 25% marketing).

The Milestones: Clearly state the key milestones (e.g., product launch, revenue target) that this funding will help you achieve.

The Vision: Paint a compelling picture of what the company will look like in 5 years.

Category 5: The Inevitable Tough Questions (The Defence)

"What is your biggest risk?" You have a prepared, honest answer that shows strategic foresight.

"What stops Google from doing this?" You have a strong, defensible answer about your moat.

"What does an outlier success look like for you?" You can describe a dream scenario that gets the investor excited.

Your Homework Before the Big Day

Your pitch is a presentation, but the meeting is a Q&A. Your goal isn't just to get through your slides; it's to inspire confidence that you have everything under control.

So, do this:

• Run the Gauntlet: Have a mentor or fellow founder use this checklist to grill you. No slide deck allowed—just questions.

• Pressure-Test Your Model: Find the weakest assumption in your financial model and be prepared to defend it.

• Simplify Your Language: Practice explaining your technology to a smart, but non-technical, person. If they don't get it, you're not clear enough.

Fundraising isn't about selling a dream. It's about proving you are the best person to execute a plan. This checklist is your tool to build that proof.

Now get your checklist ready. If you need any support, contact us here:

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