Both Sides of the Table
What the data shows about how investors actually evaluate a deck versus what founders assume — the gap between the stated thesis and the real scoring behaviour behind it.
4 parts in this series
- 1
Part 1 of 4
The Say-Do Gap: What 7,800+ VC Investment Theses Reveal About How Investors Actually Evaluate Startups
VCs say they bet on teams. Our analysis of investor theses, scored evaluations, and 162 real VC deal memos suggests conviction and traction, not team, actually drive their decisions.
·7 min read - 2
Part 2 of 4
5 Things Investors Look For That Founders Miss
Data from 286 pitch decks scored by NUVC shows a clear pattern: founders focus on market and product, but the lowest-scoring dimensions are risk acknowledgment (4.91/10) and financials (5.10/10). Here is what investors are actually checking.
·7 min read - 3
Part 3 of 4
Your Problem Slide Doesn't Matter (And Here's the Data to Prove It)
Every pitch deck coach says 'start with the problem.' We analyzed 110 expert-scored startup applications. Problem/solution was the weakest discriminator of overall score; product was the strongest.
·3 min read - 4
Part 4 of 4
Why Two Good Investors Score the Same Deck Differently: Thesis as a Re-Weighting, Not a Disagreement
A pitch deck's score isn't fixed — it's the same evaluation dimensions read through a different weighting for every fund. An angel, a growth investor, and a family office can score the identical deck differently and each still be right, because an investor's thesis is mechanically a re-weighting, not an opinion.
·8 min read
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