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How to Build the Perfect Pitch Deck to Raise VC Money

2 Weeks

Cohort-based Course

Master the art of captivating investors and securing funding with an impeccable pitch deck that commands VC attention.

How to Build the Perfect Pitch Deck to Raise VC Money

2 Weeks

Cohort-based Course

Master the art of captivating investors and securing funding with an impeccable pitch deck that commands VC attention.

Hosted by

Dario de Wet

5+ years in VC ($1.5B AUM fund) | Launched 2x funds | Ex-champion bike racer

Dario de Wet

5+ years in VC ($1.5B AUM fund) | Launched 2x funds | Ex-champion bike racer

Course overview

This is the shortcut to success - building your pitch the right way!

This course has been taught as a guest lecture at the University of Oxford Saïd Business School’s Entrepreneurship Centre, as an interactive workshop and in an online format.

It has been designed to cut through the noise - focusing on the key building blocks of a strong pitch deck and the most effective ways to best communicate your opportunity with prospective investors.

You will come away with exclusive course materials, a framework and the tools to create an impactful pitch!

Who is this course for

Founders and aspiring founders Interested in raising VC money and/or improving their deck materials - no prior experience needed.

You're interested in understanding the mind of a VC investor - what they look for, and how to convert your pitch into an investment.

You want to learn about the art of fundraising strategies and whether raising VC money is right for you.

Founders and aspiring founders Interested in raising VC money and/or improving their deck materials - no prior experience needed.

You're interested in understanding the mind of a VC investor - what they look for, and how to convert your pitch into an investment.

You want to learn about the art of fundraising strategies and whether raising VC money is right for you.

What you’ll get out of this course

Explore best practices when designing a pitch deck presentation for the market

Focus on the what matters most to VCs - acquire the tools, knowledge and confidence to impactfully deliver your key message through your materials.

Understand the mind of a VC investor on the other side of the table

Learn the do's and don'ts of creating an effective pitch deck. As a VC investor, I'll give you practical insight on what really matters - what we look for, common mistakes and how to avoid them.

Learn how to construct a compelling narrative

Truth is, raising money is all about storytelling. We're going to work on unpacking your pitch, how to standout from your peers and how to be memorable. It is vital that you can demonstrate why you and your founding team are best positioned to lead this opportunity.

Create and optimise your fundraising strategy

Here we're going to focus on strategies to build and grow your investor pipeline. How to approach investors, secure meetings and build momentum to successfully raise your round.

Course syllabus

Setting Your Intentions

Here, we will focus on expectations, goals and mindset - what success looks like to you, common misconceptions going into the preparation process and how to optimise for these outcomes across all scenarios.

The Pitch Framework

This is what matters most - we will focus on the core pillars behind a successful pitch and then do a deep dive to unpack these comprehensively.

The bulk of our time will be concentrated on this, so please come prepared with questions.

You will have exclusive access to the course materials to help you prepare for Sunday office hour sessions.

The Mind of a VC - Advice & Insights

This module is all about developing an understanding of what a VC is really looking for.

I'm going to reveal tips, tricks and other insider secrets to ensure you are best placed to succeed on your fundraising journey.

The Next Step - Fundraising Strategies for Success

So you've got the perfect deck, now what? I'm going to help you develop your fundraising playbook and teach you the most cost-effective strategies to help you find, attract and build momentum with your fundraise.

What people are saying

Darío has seen hundreds of early-stage pitch decks and helped find many interesting companies that BBVA invested in. He’s very well versed in streamlining each startup story into a clear message investors want to hear!

Christhi Theiss 🇪🇸

Ex Global Venture Creation & Investment Lead at BBVA | Executive Director - Debt Investments @ BBVA Spark

We had the pleasure of working with Dario on our first raise for Greenspark and must say it was an absolute pleasure. Dario's expertise and guidance provided invaluable insights into crafting our equity story and closing our round.

Lenny Leemann 🇬🇧

Co-Founder & CEO at Greenspark

I had the pleasure of attending several lectures by Dario, and I have always been impressed by how well-structured and passionately delivered they are. straight to the point, sharing real-life knowledge acquired by blood and tears, was an absolute joy to be there. Certainly, a well-spent time!

Andrey Maevsky 🇮🇱

Director, Technical Product Management | Oxford EMBA, PMP®, CSM and SSYB (Six Sigma Yellow Belt)

Extremely engaging session, with relevant content. Dario communicated a lot of information, yet it didn’t feel rushed or overwhelming. Dario also shared tangible, practical advice and our students thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommend.

Natalie Berge 🇬🇧

Head of Networks & Alumni | Entrepreneurship Centre | Saïd Business School , University of Oxford

Dario was an excellent thought partner and North Star when securing pre-seed investment from the Anthemis & BBVA Venture Creation Partnership. He was personable, communicative and incredibly passionate about what we’re building at Wollit.

Liad Shababo 🇬🇧

Founder & CEO at Wollit

Winning the UBS future of Finance challenge was a huge testament for Bondblox ( AKA BondEvalue), it showed that the private banking world saw bond fractionalisation as an urgent need. Dario was a great mentor for us in the competition.

Rahul Banarjee 🇸🇬

Founder & CEO at Bondevalue

Meet your instructor

Dario de Wet

Hi, I'm Dario, and I have spent close to a decade within the global startup ecosystem - investing across early-stage companies and venture capital funds.

Prior to founding LTV Capital, I was a Principal at Anthemis Group, a market-leading global fintech investor ($1.5bn AUM), where I co-led fund investments.

During my early tenure at Anthemis, I built and invested into early-stage embedded finance plays in partnership with BBVA. I then co-led the development, fundraising and investment strategy of a first-of-its kind embedded finance fund at the intersection of media and financial services.

I have reviewed 1 000+ investment opportunities, from Pre-Seed to Series A (and beyond) and have served as a mentor and advisor to multiple early-stage companies, including the winning start up at the UBS ‘Future of Finance’ Challenge, Techstars Accelerator Programmes, the Mayor of London’s Business Growth Accelerator Programme (BGP), HYPE Sports Accelerator and the University of Oxford’s All-Innovate Ideas Competition.

I have a unique set of experience across operational, investment and institutional fields; offering personal insight from coal face industry experience - which I write about here. In fact, as an early employee at one of Africa’s largest fintech players, I had direct exposure to blitzscaling strategies, creating fundraising narratives as well as developing new product and new market pitches - helping to spearhead the company’s early international expansion efforts. Separately, I was involved in the joint venture creation of Ringier One Africa Media (ROAM), which is now Africa’s largest classifieds group.

But it's not all business for me. Outside of work, I am an ex-125cc motorcycle road racing champion.

Motorcycle racing teaches you a lot about risk-taking and the balance between winning races versus championships. Inevitably, you will fall off (and potentially break some bones in the process).

The difference is that you need to get back up, learn from your mistake and go faster next time. In fact, due to mechanical failures at the beginning of my championship season (first full season), I had to win the final three races of the year, without putting a wheel wrong. And i did it.

It is this mindset that influences my approach towards the venture industry, and I want to share this with others.

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