25 Things to Leave Behind in 2025 for Investor Decks

In 2025, venture capital didn’t slow down — it got sharper.

Nearly $100B was invested in Q3 2025 alone, up almost 40% year-over-year. But while capital flowed, early-stage investing became more selective. Seed investors are reviewing more decks than ever — and filtering faster. That means one thing for founders: your deck has to work harder. After reviewing thousands of investor decks this year, LvlUp Ventures GP Brandon Maier published a must-read piece on HackerNoon outlining the 25 most common mistakes founders need to leave behind in 2025 when pitching investors.

👇Read the full article on HackerNoon 👇
Full HackerNoon Article | 25 Things to Leave Behind in 2025 for Investor Decks

Below is a concise recap of the biggest themes — and what investors actually want to see.

Investor Decks Are Not Data Rooms

One of the most common mistakes founders make is treating their pitch deck like a spreadsheet.

Overly complex financials, dense paragraphs, and excessive slides dilute the story. Investors are not looking for a full operating model in the first pass — they’re looking for clarity, judgment, and signal.

Rule of thumb: If a slide can’t be understood in 3–5 seconds, it’s doing too much.

Clarity Beats Cleverness Every Time

Founders often try to be intriguing instead of clear — and it backfires.

Some of the most frequent red flags Brandon highlights:

• No clear problem statement
• No defensible value proposition
• Buzzword-heavy explanations
• Overly technical product descriptions

If an investor can’t immediately understand:

• What problem you solve
• Who it’s for
• Why you’re different

…they won’t keep reading.

Credibility > Optimism

Unrealistic projections, inflated TAMs, and vanity metrics are easy to spot — and they hurt trust.

Investors would much rather see:

• Conservative, well-reasoned projections
• Thoughtful market segmentation
• Real traction with context (not just percentages)

“300% growth” without a baseline tells us nothing. Growing from 10 to 30 users is not the same as 10,000 to 30,000.

You Don’t Exist in a Vacuum

Claiming you have “no competition” is one of the fastest ways to lose credibility.

Strong decks:

• Show a clear competitive landscape
• Acknowledge major incumbents
• Explain why you win — not why others don’t exist

Leaving out the obvious market leader isn’t clever. It signals lack of preparation.

Investors Back Teams, Not Just Ideas

Another common miss: weak or contextless team slides.

Simply listing names and titles isn’t enough. Investors want to know:

• Why this team is uniquely qualified
• How past experience connects to this problem
• Who is executing day to day

Ideas are cheap. Execution history matters.

The “Ask” Matters More Than You Think

Surprisingly, many decks still fail at the most basic requirement: a clear ask.

Your deck should make it obvious:

• How much you’re raising
• What you’ll use the capital for
• How long it extends runway

Ambiguity here kills momentum — even if the rest of the deck is strong.

The Bottom Line

In a more selective seed market, average decks don’t get second looks.

Clean storytelling, credible metrics, thoughtful positioning, and professional design aren’t “nice to have” anymore — they’re table stakes.

Brandon goes much deeper into all 25 points — with direct, investor-side perspective — in the full HackerNoon article.

Full HackerNoon Article | 25 Things to Leave Behind in 2025 for Investor Decks

Want Help Pressure-Testing Your Deck?

At LvlUp Ventures, we review thousands of decks every year across pre-seed through growth. If you’re preparing to raise and want direct feedback from investors who actively deploy capital, we’re happy to take a look.

Apply to LvlUp Ventures Here