Pitching Without a Deck Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Founders pitching investors almost always use a pitch deck. It’s a convenient way to organize the story. Graphics, charts, and glyphs help tell the story in a short, concise fashion. In some cases, the pitch deck is not available for the pitch. For example, the founder receives an impromptu introduction in the coffee shop. The investor expresses interest, so the founder presents the deal without a deck. The key to pitching without a deck is to focus on the elements that the investor is most interested in. Financial investors want to hear the numbers behind the deal. Cost of the problem, size of the market, revenue and traction, and months to break even are the key numbers. Strategic investors want to hear about the strategy behind the business. The problem to be solved and the uniqueness of the solution the founder has will intrigue them. Business model investors want to hear about multiple revenue streams. This could come from recurring revenue, monetizing data, and applying AI. Impact investors want to hear the positive impact of the business on the community. This could be increasing graduation rates for students, removing plastic bottles from the waste stream, or lifting others out of poverty. Consider the primary interest of the investor in pitching without a deck. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let’s go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Copyright (c) 2026, Hall Martin and investorconnect.org. All rights reserved.

Disclaimer:
Hall T Martin is the director of Investor Connect, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to the education of investors for early-stage funding. All opinions expressed by Hall and podcast guests are solely their own opinions and do not reflect the opinion of Investor Connect. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon for the basis of investment decisions.