$50M pitch deck for a VC fund
The presentation that helped a VC manager to secure $50M in funding.
The context
The client: An experienced fund manager seeking to secure a $50M round to launch an early-stage VC fund.
The challenge: A deck that failed to raise money. It lacked persuasive storytelling and impactful visuals and didn’t differentiate our client from the red ocean of competition.
What we did: We took the initial deck and presented the information from a different angle—the angle that captured LPs. We created a clear, compelling story within a glanceable and digestible presentation, and LPs absorbed within seconds, not minutes.
What we achieved
14 days
to rewrite and redesign the deck
19 slides
impactful deck for LPs
3 months
from the initial meeting to
sealing the deal
$50M
raised
Our approach
Key flaws found in the initial deck
Too generic investment strategy:
- Didn’t differentiate the fund from other VCs;
- Didn’t show strong conviction;
- Showed what the fund does but didn’t show how.
Stale visuals:
- Boring, outdated presentation of the information;
- Lack of the distinct branding that would align with fund purpose;
- Convoluted, wordy presentation.
Lack of a compelling fund’s story:
- Omitted the case studies and compelling presentation of the past results;
- Didn’t do a good enough job to illustrate team experience;
- Did a poor job explaining how and why the fund will deliver above-the-market returns.
Waveup’s strategy
1. Find a unique perspective to build a story that sells
Compelling brevity—that’s how we executed a 180-degree deck turnaround.
Stats: Less than a minute—the average time LPs spend reviewing the deck.
That’s why to convince investors, we identified a unique angle—a guiding principle that distinguished our client in investors’ minds—and presented it succinctly yet effectively.
To ensure a cohesive narrative, we crafted a strong, compelling mission statement—the glue that seamlessly bound all the elements together. Based on just three theses, it effectively communicated the fund’s distinct approach and strong conviction.
A notable tip: If you’re a VC investor, you must have a slide that begins with “We believe in.” No strong conviction, no funding.
2. Demonstrate the massive market potential
Instead of an initial opening slide with excessive and convoluted data, we started with a clear articulation of the core problem. By stating the challenge with a solution, we explained further why the fund would deliver above-market returns.
3. Formulate the argument of why now
To illustrate why this fund would generate returns, we deconstructed information about its global reach and founders’ deep technology expertise to formulate the “Why Now” thesis. With just three short, succinct points, we demonstrated to LPs why the timing was ideal.
4. Build trust with a restructured team slide
Despite the founders’ experience in technology and the “deal business” domain, the initial team slide failed to highlight any of these accomplishments—displaying only names and positions. Notable achievements and specific traction points were incorporated to indicate that the team had the expertise required to generate exceptional returns.
5. Highlight success through past wins
Instead of merely presenting raw data on the client’s previous fund performance, we demonstrated the effectiveness of their strategy. By transforming historical returns into compelling visuals, we illustrated how the fund consistently outperformed the market, suggesting the new fund was poised for similar success.
Before
After
Additionally, we distilled the information in the case study slides, turning dense, hard-to-read text into well-structured, insightful, and visually appealing portfolio highlights.
We also incorporated testimonials from portfolio firms of the client’s previous fund, offering concrete examples of their potential edge in securing new deals.
6. Revamp the investment strategy
With the help of a simple yet elegant visualization of the investment strategy, we showcased the fund’s commitment to channel investments where they could truly make an impact. The slide’s colour-coded graph with an ascending line highlighted the client’s sweet spot—pre-seed to Series A rounds.
7. Redesign the deck for a powerful, modern look
To captivate LPs, we developed a clean and modern design that resonated with the founders’ “minimalist and precise” philosophy. Each slide was designed to convey a specific aspect of the fund’s story, combining visual clarity with concise, meaningful content. There is no extra fat, only essential words with supporting visuals to show fast, profitable growth.
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