Make Your Investors Your Biggest Cheerleaders
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You Probably Need Help With Your Pitch Deck...
For most first-time founders, the idea of a pitch deck sounds easy, but I often get decks with "v43" in the filename, implying it's the 43rd iteration of a deck 😖
Don't be this founder. Collaborate with active VCs on your deck and pay a professional designer to eliminate the guesswork and make a strong first impression when you're ready to pitch investors.
I use DECKO for my clients to ensure I'm getting the expertise we need to get a great deck turned around quickly. They're a group of active VCs who help founders with their decks, you can't go wrong. And you get 10% off with the link below.
Give them a try.
Upgrade Your Pitch Deck with Decko
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A Masterclass in Pre-Selling with Penelope Hope
Take Penelope Hope, co-founder of Rebel Energy. She raised £500K in a single, oversubscribed crowdfunding campaign with 700+ investors. But it wasn’t just about the cash, this was a masterstroke in building a loyal customer base before the product even launched.
It worked because crowdfunding isn’t just funding; it’s early-stage community building. Penelope’s campaign lets everyday folks invest as little as £10, turning them into stakeholders. Some became beta testers, others early adopters. Together, they stress-tested the product and laid the groundwork for future growth.
What you can expect:
- 00:25 Early Days and Initial Fundraising
- 01:39 Fundraising Strategies and Challenges
- 05:57 Crowdfunding Success and Market Entry
- 09:27 Growth Strategy and Operational Efficiency
- 14:06 Profitability and Future Plans
- 15:49 Stepping Down and Reflecting on the Journey
- 19:09 Advice for Founders and Fundraising Tips
- 22:06 UK Startup Ecosystem and Opportunities
- 32:55 Networking and Access to Investors
ABOUT PENELOPE HOPE
Penelope Hope co-founded Rebel Energy, a UK-based renewable energy supplier with a mission to alleviate fuel poverty. Under her leadership, the company grew from its initial $1.5 million raise to achieving over $100 million in revenue while maintaining profitability from day one. A strong advocate of operational efficiency, Penelope leveraged automation to stay competitive in the fragmented UK energy market.
Penelope has a background as an equity analyst and a deep commitment to social and environmental missions. After stepping back from Rebel Energy, she continues to inspire founders by sharing her experiences and advocating for founder-led innovation.
Connect with Penelope:
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Free Fundraising Resources
😍 - Free list of AI Recommended VCs - Apply for free
👨💻 - Free fundraising coaching session - Schedule 15 minutes with us
📝 - Playbook for Negotiating Term Sheets - Download it Here
💽 - Playbook for Setting Up and Sharing Your Data Room - Download it Here
✉️ - Playbook for Sending Investing Updates - Download it Here
📞 - Guide to nailing your first calls with investors - Download it here
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Premium Resources
🗓️ - Book a one-hour private capital strategy call - Book Now
💫 - Pitch deck design services for founders by VCs - Decko
💼 - Startup Legal Services - Bowery Legal
📚 - Startup Friendly Accounting Services - Chelsea Capital
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Upgrade to Thunder Premium to Unlock:
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Access to VC firms' team tabs to see active partners of the fund & their LinkedIn
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Navigate a VC's portfolio to see relevant portcos or competitors, quickly find their founders on LinkedIn to connect with them, and request warm introsA downloadable CSV with the investor emails & LinkedIn URLs
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Ability to filter your matches and adjust your profile
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LiteCRM to track your progress
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Request intros to VCs directly through the platform
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Get our fundraising guide on how to increase your odds of getting a meeting
- Upgrade to lifetime access (one-time fee of $497) and get a free coaching session
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Let's Connect:
- Hosted by Jason Kirby - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonrkirby/
- Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for market and industry news and tips when it comes to raising capital and growing your business - https://join.thunder.vc
- Seeking to raise capital? Get your list of target VCs by creating a free profile here - https://web.thunder.vc
- Looking to raise debt? Explore tailored debt options for free by completing a profile at https://debt.thunder.vc
- Thank you for being a loyal subscriber to Fundraising Demystified. We appreciate your support, and we're excited to continue bringing you more inspiring stories from successful founders.
