The numbers narrate the growth story; the deck gives it context and colour. I have sat on both sides of the table. You will not get a second meeting to fix the numbers.
Most plans exist before anyone writes them down: coherent, qualitative, held in the founder’s head. They need translation, not reinvention. I turn the vision into a document investors can digest: explicit assumptions, named drivers, dated milestones, use of capital and expected returns.
A television incubator set out to back thirty-something producer teams leaving blue-chip studios, with enough runway and coaching to get two ideas to pilot. Almost no numbers existed. The plan was built from the economics of a single producer pair, then scaled on a hit rate evidenced by three pioneer teams, their titles already in development and the conversations they were having with the studios.
The plan is stress-tested before it is shared: every number traceable to a driver, every driver evidenced and defensible in the meeting.
A children’s slate business planned to produce at low cost per minute across the full spectrum of kids’ IP, monetised through YouTube ad share. Published agency data covered views and revenue per view. The leap of faith was audience size. The founders brought in a children’s terrestrial TV star who committed to front the flagship show and promote the channels. I was able to model the business on believable conversion at each gate, starting with a compelling number at the top of the funnel.
A deck that promises one thing while the model implies another loses an investor fast. I build the two together.
A social sports betting startup pushed curated bets to users who swiped to accept or reject, choosing on excitement rather than shopping odds across other sites. Building the model showed the customer acquisition and betting intensity that implied were beyond reach. It also found the money. Sports betting converts a reliable share of users to casino, and casinos pay generously for those conversions.
I have raised capital as a founder, assessed deals as an investor, and written the memo that went to a sponsor board. A sponsor wants the returns case and exit routes. A lender wants covenant headroom, security and downside resilience. A growth investor wants a big addressable market, drivers of scale and evidence of product-market fit. I shape the material for the audience across the table.
The method in full, in the investment lifecycle article: The Value Creation Plan.
Investors are wired to find your weakest assumption. Have your defence to hand.
I don’t need any detail. I will set up a short call. No charge, no deck, and no follow-up unless you ask for it.