See Your Pitch Deck Through Investors’ Eyes—Because the Stakes Are High
The Raise-Ready Deck Review reveals exactly what investors see (but won’t tell you) before you waste months discovering it through polite nos.
30+ Years UK Tech Investment
500+ Ventures Coached
£Millions Capital Raised
SEIS/EIS Specialist
The truth investors won’t tell you
Founders rarely get told the truth.
You hear fragments of it.
“Too early for us.”
“Come back when you have more traction.”
“We like it, but it’s not quite a fit.”
What you almost never see is the scoring sheet in front of the partner who just said that.
After 30 years in UK technology investment—sitting on both sides of the table, first as a corporate investor deploying millions across dozens of ventures, then as the person fighting for companies when no one else was ready to believe yet—I know that sheet very well.
So, I built a tool that mirrors that internal scorecard.
Not your pitch. Their decision process. The Investment Deck Readiness Check shows you exactly what investors actually see – before you waste months discovering it through polite nos
THE PROBLEM
Most tech founders pitch too early.
They waste months – sometimes a year – chasing investors, damaging relationships, burning credibility. All because they haven’t analysed or understood the gaps killing their fundability.
Here’s what actually happens:
You get 15 meetings. Investors are polite. They ask good questions. They say they’ll “circle back” or “we’re not quite ready to move forward yet.”
But you never learn why.
- Was it the team slide?
- The financials?
- The competitive positioning?
- The way you explained the market?
You don’t know. And investors won’t tell you – because they’ve already moved on.
So, you keep pitching. Same deck. Same story. Same result.
Meanwhile, investors talk amongst themselves. A poor pitch review in Edinburgh reaches Glasgow by the following week. By month three, you’ve quietly burned through your best warm introductions – and you still don’t know what killed your round.
There’s a better way.
THE SOLUTION
Raise-Ready Deck Review
This isn’t pitch coaching. It isn’t generic feedback.
It’s a forensic, diagnostic system that reveals the exact gaps investors see – but won’t tell you – before you sit across from them.
Here’s exactly what you get:
A 42-question Investment Readiness Assessment covering the 8 critical areas every fund evaluates:
- Founding Team & Leadership
Can this group carry a venture-scale company through years of uncertainty? - Problem & Market Opportunity
Do you truly understand the landscape you want to operate in? - Product & Technology
Is this defensible, or easily replicated? - Customer Traction
Is anyone really using this? Are there signs of genuine pull? - Business Model & Unit Economics
Does the math actually work at scale? - Financial Planning & Management
Are your projections credible or optimistic fiction? - Legal & Compliance
SEIS/EIS eligibility, IP assignment, founder agreements—is everything tight? - Investment & Growth Strategy
Do you know what milestones matter and what happens after this round?
Your 120-Point Score
You receive a score out of 120 points—the same threshold institutional investors use internally to decide if you’re worth a second meeting.
🟢 90-120 points: Investment ready. Pitch with confidence.
🟡 70-89 points: Nearly there. Address specific gaps first.
🟠 50-69 points: Significant work needed. 3-month development plan.
🔴 Below 50: Not ready. Focus on fundamentals.
Reality check: Most founders score themselves 20-30 points higher than reality. This assessment corrects for that bias.
I review your deck the way an investment committee would—slide by slide, looking for the signals that trigger conviction or concern.
You get an 8-12 page written analysis showing:
✅ What’s strong and why
The evidence investors will anchor on
✅ What’s weak and how to fix it
Specific, actionable changes (not vague advice)
✅ What’s killing your credibility
The quiet dealbreakers investors notice but don’t mention
✅ What may be missing entirely
Gaps that experienced investors expect to see
✅ Who you’re really competing against
Why investors will question your moat (and how to defend it)
✅ How to tell your story more compellingly
Narrative structure that lands with institutional audiences
Plus: Your Investor Shortlist
A curated list of 20-30 UK pre-seed investors who actually invest in your sector and stage – saving you weeks of research. Because I know you now.
No generic lists. These are investors matched to:
- Your sector (Cleantech, SaaS, HealthTech, etc.)
- Your stage (pre-seed, seed)
- Your geography (Scotland-focused vs UK-wide)
- Your capital needs (£250K-£1M range)
1-hour strategy call where we walk through your specific gaps and build a plan:
Prioritise what matters most
Not everything matters equally. We identify the 3-5 gaps that will actually kill your round.
Timeline your improvements
30/60/90-day roadmap so you know what to fix first, second, third.
Navigate your sector’s investor landscape
Scottish EDGE? Specific VCs? Angels? We discuss who to target and when.
Answer your fundraising questions
SEIS/EIS? Cap table? Valuation? Co-investment requirements? We cover it. Identify quick wins vs fundamental rethinking. Some gaps you can fix in a week. Others require strategic pivots. You’ll know which is which.
This isn’t a sales call. It’s strategic guidance from someone who’s been on both sides of the table.
After you make improvements, send your revised deck back.
I’ll do a final review to confirm you’re ready before you pitch.
No surprises. No lingering doubts. Just clarity.
This ensures you’re not guessing whether your changes worked—you’ll know.
From the moment you submit your deck to receiving your complete analysis package.
Day 1: You submit deck + complete assessment
Days 2-4: I analyse your materials
Day 5: You receive written report + schedule strategy call
Days 6-7: Strategy call happens
Ongoing: Final review when you’re ready
Your Guarantee
If our analysis doesn’t reveal at least 3 significant gaps in your fundraising readiness, we’ll refund your money 100% in full.
Why?
Because if you’re truly ready, you should already know your weaknesses. This programme’s value is in exposing your blind spots—the gaps you can’t see but investors can.
Having analysed 500+ ventures over 30 years. we’ve never failed to find at least three critical issues.
The question is whether you want to discover them here—or across the table from a partner after burning three warm introductions.
Your Investment & ROI
Your investment: £375
(includes VAT)
ROI (Return on Investment) Calculation
If this saves you 2 weeks of wasted meetings: Well spent
If it helps you close your round 3 months faster: Invaluable
If it prevents you pitching too early and burning relationships: Priceless
What You’re Really Buying
✓ Avoiding months of wasted pitching
✓ Preserving relationships with investors
✓ Clarity on whether you’re ready (or what to fix first)
✓ 30 years of fundraising expertise distilled into actionable feedback
HOW IT WORKS
A simple 5-step process from submission to launch-ready:
Who This Is For
This programme is perfect for:
- Pre-seed/Seed tech startups preparing to raise £250K-£1M
- Founders who’ve built an MVP and have early customer signals (not idea-stage)
- Teams applying to accelerators like Scottish EDGE, Techstars, Carbon 13, SETsquared
- Entrepreneurs pitching VCs and want honest feedback before facing investors
- Scottish ventures seeking SEIS/EIS-eligible capital and local investor guidance
This programme is NOT for:
- Idea-stage ventures (no product, no customers)
- Lifestyle businesses (not seeking institutional investment)
- Post-Series A companies (different assessment criteria apply)
- Anyone not planning to fundraise in the next 6-12 months
Why does stage matter?
You only get one shot with most investors.
Walk in unprepared, and you’ve burned that relationship. Worse, investors talk amongst themselves—a poor pitch review in Edinburgh can reach Glasgow the following week.
Better to know exactly where you stand before the stakes are high.You only get one shot with most investors.
Walk in unprepared, and you’ve burned that relationship. Worse, investors talk amongst themselves—a poor pitch review in Edinburgh can reach Glasgow the following week.
Better to know exactly where you stand before the stakes are high.
About Robert Hokin
30+ years on both sides of the UK technology investment table
First, as an investor:
- 10+ years on Investment Committees with Corporate Venture Funds, deploying millions across 500+ ventures.
- I was the person scoring your deck, debating your team in partners’ meetings, deciding whether you’d get a term sheet.
- I’ve sat in those rooms where your fate gets decided. I know what triggers a yes—and what triggers a polite no.
Then, as an advocate:
- Founded Greenbackers Investment Capital (Series A-C cleantech/climate VC advisory), coaching 300+ ventures through fundraising that collectively raised £600M+ in capital.
- I became the person fighting for companies when no one else was ready to believe yet.
- I’ve been the voice in the room arguing, “this team can do it” when everyone else sees only risk.
Today:
- I run Fundraising101™ Academy—Scotland’s pre-seed fundraising education platform.
- The mission is simple: Democratize access to capital by teaching founders the DIY fundamentals of effective investment-raising.
What Founders Say
“Brutal but brilliant The deck analysis was brutal but brilliant. It identified gaps we’d never even considered—especially around competitive positioning.
We restructured the entire pitch and closed our round 4 months later. This should be mandatory for every founder”
— Niall Haughian, CEO, Cleantech Founder, Cambridge
“Blown away by the thoroughness
I brought in Fundraising 101 to help with a startup I was advising and was blown away by the thoroughness of the pitch deck analysis, curated list of investors, and specific actionable items to get them investor ready. My startup was able to not only hone their pitch deck but take valuable insights away about the next decisions in growing their business and aligning them better to investor expectations. I would highly recommend this. Excellent value!
— Jessalyn Gerbholz
Start-up Advisor, Glasgow
“Showed us we were 6 months too early.
10 out of 10. Robert showed us we were 6 months too early to fundraise. We used the feedback to fix our financial model and customer validation—then raised £400K from Scottish EDGE and angels. Worth every penny.
— Fintech Founder
Glasgow
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes—this package is for founders who have built something and are preparing to fundraise.
If you don’t have a full deck ready yet, start with the assessment to understand your gaps, then build out your deck to address them.
Don’t worry. That’s the whole point.
Better to know now than after 20 rejected pitches. Use the score to prioritise what to fix before approaching investors. We’ll help with that.
Absolutely not.
Your deck and all analysis are confidential. We don’t invest, so there’s no conflict of interest. Send your NDA to sign if you want additional comfort.
The assessment is calibrated for ALL UK pre-seed and Seed stage (SEIS/EIS-eligible) ventures.
This program applies to any tech startup anywhere, but our expertise is strongest within the UK ecosystem, particularly Scotland.
Good! That means you’re thinking critically.
But the analysis reflects what institutional investors will likely think based on decades of experience. You can choose to address their concerns or bet on finding investors who think differently. Both are valid strategies.
The question is: do you want to know what traditional investors will think, even if you ultimately target non-traditional ones?
Absolutely.
Many of the assessment criteria align with what grants evaluate. Strong scores indicate you’re competitive for non-dilutive funding too.
Several past clients used this analysis to strengthen their Scottish EDGE applications and subsequently won funding.
This is a diagnostic tool, not a hands-on advisory engagement.
What’s NOT included:
- Financial modelling services
- Cap table advisory
- Individual investor introductions
- Ongoing pitch coaching
- Monthly mentorship
(Those services are available separately through the Fundraising101™ Academy Workshops and Fast Track.)
What IS included is everything you need to understand your gaps and fix them yourself.
- Written analysis: 5 business days after submission
- Strategy call: Scheduled within 7 days of receiving report (at your convenience)
- Final review: Whenever you’re ready (no time limit)
Most founders complete improvements and final review within 2-4 weeks of receiving initial analysis.
Even better.
Use this to understand your gaps 3-6 months BEFORE you start pitching. That’s the ideal time—you have runway to make improvements without pressure.
Many founders use this as a “pre-flight check” 6 months before planned fundraising.
Currently, no. The £375 fee is payable upfront.
However, remember: if you enrol in F101 Academy (£1,500) or Fast Track within 12 months, this amount is 100% credited. So, it’s effectively a deposit on future education if you need it.
That’s exactly when this is most valuable.
The analysis will likely reveal what killed those meetings (even if investors didn’t tell you). You’ll know what to fix before approaching your next batch.
Better to diagnose the problem now than burn through your entire warm intro list.
Don’t Pitch Until You KNOW You’re Ready
Most founders pitch too early, damage relationships, and waste 6-12 months they’ll never get back.
For £375, you’ll know exactly where you stand—and what to fix before you face investors.
That’s the difference between:
- Closing your round in 3 months because you fixed the gaps first
- Spending a year chasing polite no’s
What happens after you order:
Immediately: You’ll receive the 42-question assessment link
Within 24 hours: Confirmation email with deck submission instructions
Day 5: Your complete readiness package delivered
Day 7: Strategy call scheduled at your convenience
Ongoing: Final review support whenever you’re ready to pitch
✓ 5-day delivery guaranteed
✓ Money-back if <3 gaps found
✓ 100% credit toward F101 Academy
✓ Confidential (NDA available)
