Unlock Fundraising Readiness with Funding Scorecard

Fundraising Tactics by Cherif Habib (Co-founder and CEO at Dialogue) Fundraising isn’t just numbers. It’s psychology. At Table Ronde, Cherif Habib shared a tactic that changed the game when raising for Dialogue: He didn’t space investor meetings out. He stacked them. Back-to-back. In the same office. Same day. So when one VC walked out… another was walking in. Investors saw each other in the lobby. And that changes everything. Because in fundraising: ❌ No momentum = hesitation ✅ Visible momentum = FOMO FOMO creates urgency. Urgency accelerates decisions. Decisions close rounds. Great founders don’t just pitch. They orchestrate demand.

An investor once told me: “I fund founders who look in control of the process.” Not necessarily the biggest traction. Not the loudest story. Control. That means: • Tight narrative • Defined raise target • Clean data room • Coordinated outreach waves Fundraising is as much signal management as it is storytelling. If you're preparing for a round this year, control is everything. https://buff.ly/Eq6WGoG #SeedFunding #PreSeed #StartupAdvisory #InvestorMindset #CapitalRaise #EntrepreneurJourney

🔎 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐤? 👉 Founders ask this question constantly. So rather than guessing, my colleague Nicole Scola and I have reviewed 𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 13 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒎𝒔  — including some of the biggest funds globally — to see what slides consistently appear in investor-recommended decks. 👉 Then we turned those insights into a simple pitch deck template for pre-seed and seed founders. A few interesting findings from the analysis: 👉  𝐒𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐕𝐂 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬.  These appeared in nearly all the templates we analysed: • 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 – what pain are you solving? • 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 – why you are the people to win • 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐳𝐞 – how big the opportunity is • 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 – how you compare to alternatives • 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 / 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 – what you’ve built and how it works • 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥 – how you make money • 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐆𝐓𝐌 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 – evidence of demand or your plan to reach customers 👉 Investors see thousands of decks each year, so simplicity matters. The best decks are usually 10–20 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 and tell a clear story rather than drowning investors in detail. 👉 See the blog and download the template here: 👇 https://lnkd.in/enEeVDKF 👉 https://lnkd.in/eGHRDU2u Lauren Toby HSBC Innovation Banking

Excited to launch our HINV Pitch Deck Template — designed to help innovative founders craft investor-ready stories that truly resonate. We’ve reviewed pitch templates from 13 leading VC firms to distill what works, why it matters, and how to refine your message for maximum impact. Whether you’re fundraising now or preparing for your next round, this resource helps you position your vision with clarity and confidence. 🚀 Download it and start building your most compelling narrative yet. https://lnkd.in/ebVqgkba Glen Waters Toby Brown HSBC Innovation Banking

Building your first pitch deck? Not sure what investors actually want to see? Our team analysed pitch deck templates from top VCs to identify what matters most at seed and pre-seed stage, from team slides to three-year plans and everything in between. We've turned that research into a template to help you get started. It's built on what investors consistently look for, giving you a solid foundation to tell your story with confidence. Download the template and access more fundraising insights now: https://grp.hsbc/6048hePtn

🔎 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐤? 👉 Founders ask this question constantly. So rather than guessing, my colleague Nicole Scola and I have reviewed 𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 13 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒎𝒔  — including some of the biggest funds globally — to see what slides consistently appear in investor-recommended decks. 👉 Then we turned those insights into a simple pitch deck template for pre-seed and seed founders. A few interesting findings from the analysis: 👉  𝐒𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐕𝐂 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬.  These appeared in nearly all the templates we analysed: • 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 – what pain are you solving? • 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 – why you are the people to win • 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐳𝐞 – how big the opportunity is • 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 – how you compare to alternatives • 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 / 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 – what you’ve built and how it works • 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥 – how you make money • 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐆𝐓𝐌 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 – evidence of demand or your plan to reach customers Investors see thousands of decks each year, so simplicity matters. The best decks are usually 10–20 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 and tell a clear story rather than drowning investors in detail. 👉 See the blog and download the template here: 👇 https://lnkd.in/enEeVDKF Lauren Toby Nicole HSBC Innovation Banking

A few practical reminders from 16 Non-Obvious Fundraising Lessons on Pitching: • Don’t speak in generalities. Use numbers. Precise numbers signal command. • Don’t just talk through slides. Use diagrams. Point. Move. Make it visual. • Send materials ahead of time so the meeting isn’t spent on basics. • Customize your deck. The same pitch doesn’t land the same way with every VC. • In a 30-minute meeting, you shouldn’t be talking for 30 minutes. • Assume most investors won’t invest. Optimize to learn from them. Deep dive below: 

If you’ve ever walked out of a pitch thinking, “That went well”… and then heard nothing back, this video is for you. Most raises don’t fail because the project is weak. They fail because the decision is not clear. In this video, I break down: 1. Why great explanations still don’t lead to funding 2. Why fundraising is decision design, not storytelling 3. How to pressure-test your raise to see if it works without you 4. The key questions investors are actually pricing 5. How to build a raise that can be reviewed, shared, and decided on

Fundraising Is About No Surprises The best fundraising processes share one principle: Clean, credible, consistent story. Daniel Strathearn said it clearly: Overpromise early → credibility collapses in diligence. Successful CFOs ensure: • Financial hygiene • Synchronicity with founder narrative • No surprises in the data room Fundraising isn’t about selling. It’s about trust. #Fundraising #InvestorRelations #CFOLeadership

We help fund managers turn scattershot decks into conviction-grade pitchbooks. Clear narrative. Distinct positioning. Performance-ready exhibits. Start with a storyline that answers: why you, why now, why this strategy. Then show it — concise bios, crisp track record tables, realistic financials and deal maps. We pair messaging with forensic edits and legal-ready appendices so your materials hold up through diligence and closing. The result: smoother LP conversations with family offices and institutions across Los Angeles and New York, and more confident commitments. See examples of our before-and-after work and learn how we support end-to-end fundraising at https://lnkd.in/eqzykfh 🔍 #Fundraising #PrivateEquity #InvestorRelations