How Not To Apply To An Accelerator (part 6)

This is part 6 of my “self-defense essay”. If you missed the prior installments, start here with The #EpicNovelFail

The #LinkerFail
(a.k.a. The “You find it”)

“Can’t I just send you my pitch deck? It’s all in there.”

I get that question from time to time and it’s a fair question. The entrepreneur has put a lot of time into crafting his deck and making it look pretty. Why fill out an application if the data are in the deck?

In many cases, the data are not all there. Our application questions represent the minimum amount of info we need to feel comfortable inviting a startup to the next stage of the process. I would guestimate that well over 80% of the investor decks we see are missing the answer to at least one of our questions. These aren’t bad decks. Many are likely very effective in getting the startup a meeting with potential investors. They just don’t have all the info we want to see.

The other answer is a bit more subtle. As I mentioned, every Dreamit reviewer sees hundreds of applications over the course of a few short weeks. Even if a deck is ‘complete’, each deck would still present the information in its own way and in its own order. We would have to hunt through the deck to find where the answer to a specific question is while mentally checking off the boxes to make sure all the bases were covered. That adds time and mental load to a process that already consumes massive amounts of both of these scarce resources.

Tip: don’t respond to an application question with “Please see my deck/website/video (link here).”

Next up: The #PoorAttentionToDetailFail