Fund India

10 REASONS WE PASS ON YOUR FUNDING APPLICATION 🛑 

(+ 1 bonus that instantly kills your chances)

At tdventures.in we’ve reviewed thousands of pitch decks—and we’ve funded over 50 startups across our Seed and Scout-backed funds.

Here’s what consistently makes us say “no.”

Founders, take notes 🧠👇

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1️⃣ No proof you can sell

Your deck screams "great idea"… but where is the early validation? We’re not necessarily looking for revenue—show us users, pilot results, LOIs, or real partnership interest. Something that proves people actually want this.

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2️⃣ Generic team slide

Cool… you went to a good school.

But who’s actually building this? Who’s scrappy enough to survive?

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3️⃣ Market size slide from Google Images

$800B market, huh?

Okay. But what’s your wedge?

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4️⃣ Zero GTM strategy

“If we build it, they will come” is not a strategy.

How do you actually get your first "X" number of users?

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5️⃣ Unrealistic CAC / LTV numbers

If your CAC is $2 and LTV is $1,000… we’re closing the deck.

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6️⃣ No clear use of funds

“Marketing, ops, and team” = lazy.

Tell us where this capital gets you and what moves the needle post-raise.

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7️⃣ Burn rate + runway ≠ reality

If you’re raising $500K to last 18 months with 5 FTEs…

Math ain’t mathing.

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8️⃣ Buzzwords over clarity

“We’re the AI-powered Uber of Web3.”

Please stop.

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9️⃣ No understanding of competition

If your slide says “no direct competitors”… we assume you haven’t looked.

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🔟 Sloppy formatting

Yes, we care. Investors are looking through your deck for 30-40 seconds on average. Bad design = bad signal.

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🎉 BONUS:

You’ve been “raising” for 8 months with zero progress?

That’s not a fundraise—it’s a 🚩.

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Raising is a pitch, not a prayer.Clarity wins. Numbers matter. Grit shows.

💰 Raising capital? Apply to 15+ VCs in under 5 minutes with the LvlUp Ventures Super Application. One form, multiple funds.

👉 https://lnkd.in/e3tnQh9G

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👇 What would you add to the list? 👇