Before writing a pitch deck, identify the top 3 doubts VCs will have about your case, such as market size, weak traction or a crowded space, and write down your best counter-argument for each. Then reverse-engineer your fundraising narrative so these concerns are already addressed in the story, before an investor can raise them.
Before you write a single word of your pitch deck, do this first:
Identify the Top 3 Doubts VCs Will Have About Your Case.
Great fundraising isn’t just about telling a compelling story – it’s about telling the right story. And that means anticipating what will stand in the way of conviction.
Every startup has vulnerabilities. Yours too. The best founders are brutally honest with themselves and ask:
“If I were a VC, what would stop me from investing?”
Write down the top 3 objections you’d expect an investor to have. These are usually one (or more) of the following:
- “The market isn’t big or urgent enough.”
- “Why you? Why now?”
- “Your traction is too early / too weak.”
- “I don’t see the moat or defensibility.”
- “You’re entering a crowded space – how do you win?”
- “You lack domain experience.”
- “This feels like a feature, not a company.”
Now – for each objection, write down the best counter-argument you have. Be honest. Don’t hand-wave. Don’t bullshit yourself. If you have no good counter-argument yet, that’s gold – now you know what to fix.
Then, and only then, start building your story.
Once you have your top 3 objections and your best responses, reverse-engineer your fundraising narrative so that these concerns are already addressed in the story itself – before the VC even gets a chance to raise their hand.
Instead of:
Telling your story, then hoping to survive the Q&A.
Do this:
Build a story that’s already been trained to disarm the toughest questions.
Make the VC feel like you’re one step ahead. Because you are.
Examples:
- If your traction is still early, show a momentum story: “Here’s what we’ve achieved in just 60 days with zero marketing.”
- If you’re in a crowded space, reframe it: “Yes, others tried. Here’s what they got wrong – and why we’re winning.”
- If you’re a solo founder, embed proof of your ability to recruit and execute: “Within 3 weeks, I had top-tier talent join me for equity only.”
Why this works
- It creates a sense of trust and self-awareness.
- It increases your odds of building a tight, focused narrative.
- And it saves you from pitching a story that VCs spend 80% of their time poking holes in.
You can’t fake this. But if you do it right, your pitch will feel inevitable – not like something that needs to be “sold.”
Pro move: Use this exercise as a sanity check
If your top objections can’t be reasonably countered, maybe you’re not ready to fundraise yet. Better to realize that now than halfway through a raise.
Your Action
- Write down your top 3 VC objections
- Write your best counter-arguments
- Use them to shape your pitch storyline
- Then – and only then – open your Powerpoint, Google Slides, or Keynote
By the way – the same logic applies to sales pitches.
Frequently asked questions
What should founders do before writing a pitch deck?
Identify the top 3 doubts VCs will have about your case and write down the best counter-argument you have for each. Only then start building your story and open your slide software.
What are common VC objections to a startup?
Typical objections are that the market isn’t big or urgent enough, why you and why now, traction that is too early or too weak, no visible moat, a crowded space, lack of domain experience, or a product that feels like a feature, not a company.
How do you address investor objections in a pitch?
Reverse-engineer your fundraising narrative so the concerns are already addressed in the story itself. For example, show a momentum story if traction is early, or explain what others got wrong if the space is crowded.
What if you cannot counter the main VC objections?
If your top objections can’t be reasonably countered, you may not be ready to fundraise yet. It is better to realize that now than halfway through a raise.
