I was invited to roast early-stage founders participating in the @Colosseum Hackathon. I took some time to watch the recording again and share more constructive feedback. First, I wanted to go project by project, but then realized there's common feedback that applies across the board if you're presenting to a potential investor or a business partner: You need to present yourself in the best possible light (quite literally). You need a good internet connection. Good lighting, clear sound, no background noise. No weird sh*t going on (unless you're naturally a little bit weird and can't help it) Don't talk too much. Be aware of the verbal ticks, such as "uhm" and "like", as these can be distracting. Don't swear and don't use slang; it's unprofessional Pitch deck It's 2026, and people don't have much attention or patience. Each slide should read as a single sentence. Less text, fewer bullet points, fewer images, less explanation. Less is more. What you're saying should match what's written. When you involve both eyes and ears, you increase the chance of delivering your message. What's in it for ME? If you want to raise funds, I, as an investor, am evaluating the business opportunity, but at this early stage, when there's often no company — I'm evaluating YOU. 🫵 How are you going after your first users? What's the traction? How has your execution been lately? If it's not a deep tech or legal-heavy product, start with the MVP, get the first few users, and get them to love the product (ideally to pay for it as well). What's the business model? How will this become a unicorn? VCs are looking at 100x ROI. So if you are looking to raise at a $5M valuation and sell your company for $20M after several years, that could be a good outcome for YOU, but a bad outcome for the investors. Do YOU have what it takes to take it to the next level (to Series A)? Do YOU have what it takes to keep going through hurdles for years, to stay hungry and ambitious? I want to see that you know what you're doing and talking about, and how you will 100x my investment. Did I miss something? Let me know your thoughts.