1. Top-down TAM with no bottom-up validation
"The global market is $500B" signals you haven't sized your real opportunity. Fix: build TAM bottom-up from your ICP, ACV and addressable count. One credible number beats five inflated ones.
2. 'We have no competition'
This tells investors the market doesn't exist or you haven't looked. Fix: name real competitors, acknowledge their strengths, and explain specifically why you win in your target segment.
3. Raise too small to reach the next milestone
A round that gives you 10 months of runway puts you back in fundraising before you've built anything. Fix: model the milestone first, calculate the cost to reach it, add 20–30% buffer, then set the raise.
4. Inconsistent numbers across slides
TAM on slide 4 doesn't match appendix. ARR in the headline doesn't match the chart. Investors notice every inconsistency. Fix: run CAPLINK's AI Consistency Checker before sending.
5. No traction — and no explanation of why
At pre-revenue stage, absence of traction needs context. Fix: show leading indicators (waitlist, pilots, LOIs, design partners) and explain what early signals validate the thesis.
6. Team slide without relevant credibility
A list of credentials without market relevance. Fix: for each founder, one sentence on why their background makes them specifically suited to win this market.
7. Vague or missing Ask
"We're raising a Seed round" is not an Ask. Fix: amount + allocation by category + the milestone the round is designed to reach. Three lines, no ambiguity.
8. Solution before Problem
Investors can't evaluate a solution to a problem they don't feel yet. Fix: establish pain before showing the product. One slide of problem context earns you the solution slide.
9. Stale data and outdated dates
A deck that still references last year's revenue or an expired forecast destroys credibility. Fix: date every data point. CAPLINK's AI Consistency Checker automatically flags stale dates.
10. Too much text per slide
Decks are read in 2–3 minutes, not 20. Dense text signals inability to prioritise. Fix: one claim per slide, supported by one number or one visual. If it doesn't fit, it goes in the appendix.