Brandon Aversano Guest Stars - SO - 9/16

This is Second Opinion, a newsletter created by your friends Deck Doctors and Hustle Fund, where we give tactical advice on how to create the perfect pitch deck.

🚨 Housekeeping

Hi friends! Second Opinion team here with a quick announcement.

Dunky the Purple Hippocorn is now taking over as the lead writer of Second Opinion!

You’ll still get the same Second Opinion you know and love. The only difference is that Second Opinion will be sent from a new email address: [email protected].

This change shouldn’t affect your experience at all, but we wanted to let you know. This change will kick in for the next Second Opinion article, which is scheduled for Tues, Sept 30.

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Thanks! And now, on to the good stuff.

Today’s Edition

When you’re a founder, raising millions without a pitch deck sounds impossible.

That’s why I’m so excited about today’s episode of Second Opinion. We’re welcoming Brandon Aversano, co-founder of Alloy, onto the show to share how he raised over $3M without ever sending a deck.

Brandon’s journey is incredible and packed with insights that'll make you rethink everything about fundraising.

From his deeply personal founding story to building genuine investor relationships, this conversation is pure gold for any founder navigating the fundraising maze.

The episode is below. If you keep scrolling, you’ll find some of our favorite takeaway moments from the session. Enjoy!

Our Favorite Takeaways

This is the part where we hear the personal story behind Alloy. Brandon shares how a frustrating experience selling gold during his cancer treatment turned into a startup idea.

This is the part where Brandon explains why he ditched the deck altogether and instead doubled down on authentic conversations and AMAs to build investor trust.

This section is my favorite – Brandon breaks down how Alloy grew from $350K in 2023 to $4.4M in 2024, without the need of a fancy deck. Because sometimes your growth story is the only pitch deck you need.

And this is the part where Brandon talks about selecting investors who truly align with your mission and values. He treats fundraising like building partnerships, not just collecting checks.

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See ya in two weeks!

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

- Kera, Alex, and Mark