YC alum offering free pitch deck feedback
I'm a 3x founder, YC alum, and early-stage investor. I was lucky to back Zapier, Clever, Omaze, and a few others at the seed stage.
This summer I'm spending time helping early-stage founders and learning from them. If you're raising or planning to raise, I'm happy to review your deck and offer honest feedback to help you sharpen the story from an investor's perspective.
In return, I'd love to ask you a few quick questions about your fundraising experience. What's working, what's frustrating, and how you're thinking about it. It helps me better understand how founders are raising today and where the process breaks down.
If you're up for it, feel free to reply here or message me privately. You can email me directly if you like mike.stachowiak@gmail.com
No catch. Just hoping it's helpful for both of us.
Replies
@mike_stachowiak this is great, I'm just thinking if YC look at decks at all.
@martyd You are correct, YC does not look pitch decks, they have their own application process that is quite different. I'm happy to provide feedback on YC applications as well
@mike_stachowiak I'll keep that in mind if I decide to apply.
YC alum now offering free pitch deck feedback to help early-stage founders sharpen their story.
Get actionable insights on clarity, traction, and investor appeal. Perfect if you're gearing up for fundraising or accelerator app.
Hi Mike,
That’s a great initiative! Do you have a public email?
Thank you
@az1zhakim mike.stachowiak@gmail.com
Optibot
Commenting here to increase visibility on PH. I think a lot of folks could benefit from this. Thanks for offering your time and knowledge Mike!
@syedahmedz Thanks!
ClothingAI
What advice would you give when applying to YC?
@benjamin_sloutsky Think like a VC, or in this case, YC. If you were an investor, what companies would you invest in if you had a lot of good deal flow?
If you want me to provide direct feedback on your application, send me a note.
Hi Mike,
This is awesome (And kind) of you to offer your help. My startup, Intecular, is currently fundraising, and I have much to share...particularly the frustrations. I'd love to have a conversation about the process.
Thank you!
Leon Xue
@leonxue1 Thanks for the reply, Intecular looks cool. I'd like to chat, send me an email mike.stachowiak@gmail.com and we can schedule something.
@mike_stachowiak Awesome, just sent over an email!
This is an amazing initiative, Mike, and I'd love to have a chat sometime. I've had fundraising experience before. At the moment, I may not be raising but nonetheless, I'm happy to share my previous experiences and my journey so far. I've been a founder for the last 4 years and recently decided to join the workforce.
Interested in the pitch deck offer - jamjbolt@gmail.com
@jamie_daniel1 Feel free to email me
Hey @mike_stachowiak Thanks for this opportunity. Shot you our pitch deck for Hokku