The Jargon Trap

Author

Dunky
June 02, 2026

This is Second Opinion, a newsletter created by Hustle Fund, where we weigh in (with our second opinion) and give tactical advice on founder situations.

finally, a bank that gets it

Most banks were not built with founders in mind. Mercury was. It's banking + credit cards + financial software all in one place, designed for the way startups actually move. No weird holds, no branch visits, no "have you tried a business savings account?" Mercury serves 300K+ companies who have better things to do than fight with their bank.

Hustle Fund fam, use this link to sign up and snag up to $3K cash.

*this is sponsored.

Today’s Edition

Investors skim decks fast. Really fast. And nothing kills the momentum faster than hitting a term you don't recognize and having to stop and decode it.

✨Today's episode: the jargon trap

Shiyan Koh, Hustle Fund general partner, and Bart Hofkin, Hustle Fund Venture Fellow, crack open a pitch deck from a multifamily real estate AI startup. Two things stood out:

Know your acronyms. NOI, PMS, IRR. If your audience has to pause and decode your slides, you've already lost the thread. Define it or cut it.

Be concrete where it counts. Start with the stats. "For every dollar spent, they save $18" landed instantly. No jargon, no fluff, just a number that makes the value obvious.

Here's the episode:

Want a second opinion on your deck?

If you want your deck reviewed and featured in Second Opinion, fill out this form.

Or drop a link to your deck in the video comments and the we’ll will reply there.

 PS: Trying to create the perfect pitch deck? This is for you.