TBC 156: Why Your Pitch Deck Needs a Flow, Not Just a Slide List

TBC 156: Why Your Pitch Deck Needs a Flow, Not Just a Slide List

Most founders treat their pitch deck like a list of data points investors will absorb from start to finish. That's not how it works. In this episode of The Backchannel, Jason breaks down the concept of narrative flow — why you have to constantly re-earn an investor's attention, how to know where to start based on your industry, and what the goal of every deck should actually be (hint: it's not a yes, it's an 'I need to learn more'). If your deck isn't making investors nod along, this episode explains why.

TBC 151: VCs Are Rooting for You — Here's How to Use That

Every VC you pitch wants you to be great. Not because they're generous — because your success is their success. In this episode of The Backchannel, Jason shares a quote that reframes the entire investor relationship, and breaks down what it means for how you show up in pitch meetings. When a VC asks you hard questions, that's not a bad sign — it's the opposite. Here's how to stop getting defensive and start using those moments to your advantage.

TBC 150: Why VCs Say They Love Cold Email (And What They Actually Mean)

Venture capitalists who say they love cold email aren't lying — but they're not telling the whole story either. In this episode of The Backchannel, Jason breaks down the three types of founders who reach out cold, why VC cold submission forms mostly work for the best and worst founders, and why the messy middle — the founders who need that first leap of faith the most — are the ones cold email fails. If you've been debating whether to go warm or cold, this episode will make the answer obvious.

TBC 149: How to Actually Use Startup Advice You Find Online

Not all advice is created equal — and bite-sized content on Twitter or LinkedIn was never meant to be followed word for word. In this episode of The Backchannel, Jason gets candid about his own content, why his takes are always directionally accurate but never fully comprehensive, and how founders should be filtering and applying advice they find online. He also shares why leaving a kind comment for a creator you follow might matter more than you think.

TBC 148: How Simple Is Too Simple for Your Pitch Narrative

Founders almost never cut their narrative far enough. In this episode of The Backchannel, Jason shares a lesson from one of the best negotiators he’s ever seen — push all the way to the line so you know where it is. Applied to pitch narratives, that means going so simple it feels dumb, and then layering complexity back in from there. If you’ve been gradually trimming your story and wondering if you’ve cut enough, this episode will change how you approach it.