Introduction: Welcome to the Big Leagues

Welcome, entrepreneurs! I'm Sarah Chen, Partner at Summit Ventures, and I've seen over 3,000 pitch decks in my career. Today, I'm going to teach you how to build a pitch deck that doesn't just get meetings - it gets checks written. Here's what most founders get wrong: they think a pitch deck is about their product. It's not. It's about telling a story that makes investors believe three things: this is a massive opportunity, this team can capture it, and I'll make significant returns on my investment. We're going to build a deck for 'EcoFleet' - a hypothetical startup that's solving a real problem I see every day. This example will show you exactly how to structure your narrative, what data points matter, and how to present information that builds investor confidence. Let's turn you from founders with an idea into investment-ready entrepreneurs.