Your deck lost me at slide 1 - 2/24/26

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.

Today’s Edition

So turns out, most pitch decks bury the most impressive stuff on slide 7. Let's talk about it.

✨ Today's episode: Why your pitch deck is losing investors by slide 3

The sequencing mistake

When you're raising a pre-seed round, your deck isn't just a document. It's your first impression, your sales pitch, and your filter for finding the right investors all at once. Get the sequencing wrong, and you lose people before they ever see your traction.

In today's episode of Uncapped Notes Live, Haley Bryant, partner at Hustle Fund, sits down with Dee Zheng, venture partner at Hustle Fund and founder in deep tech, to review a real pitch deck from a company called Alium Energy, an operating system for distributed energy resources.

Dee has years of experience in the energy sector. They break down what Alium got right, what's getting buried, and what investors need to see to keep flipping through.

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.

-Elizabeth