What's goin' down?

Oh, hi there! Funny seeing you down here. 

You’re probably here because someone told you to come. Nice to see you!

Down the garden path is a small group of founders being shepherded through the nightmare journey of building a startup from scratch by a handful of repeat and exited entrepreneurs. 

Our ‘troop’ enjoys a whole bunch of things to make the journey less lonely. From a dedicated community with an ‘ask me anything’ approach to support; to a whole set of videos on ‘hacks’ to raising money from investors. 

If you want in too, you’re going to do a cold read. It’s real simple. You give us a pitch deck (it can be draft, rough, whatever…) and we ‘unbox it’ – saying everything out loud a good investor might *think* about your deck, but never ever tell you. To get one, head to my LinkedIn, follow, and then ping me a DM. 

Do that, and you’re invited to the gang. Simplez. There’s over 100 of us already, and watch below if you’re unsure…

FAQ

A cold-read is where I film myself reviewing your pitch deck and speak out loud everything I believe a good investor would *think* but never tell you about your pitch deck.

From bitter personal experience, too many pitch decks you send to investors rarely get a reply. Or if they do, it’s the ‘too early’ or ‘not a fit’ response. Being able to see what the investor was likely thinking at that moment can save you firing off your social capital unnecessarily

I have been doing cold-reads for about a decade. However they were exclusively for my students at MIT and the teams I mentored at Techstars and The Rattle. Only recently have I dared doing it in public, and it’s become a pretty astonishing success

Tut. Well, no one is technically ‘qualified’. However, having raised a lot of capital over the last 15 years and having invested a fair number of times, I have a sneaky sense for how VCs and Angel Investors operate. Not only that, I have spent over a decade calibrating my opinions against the world’s best investors – including Chris Dixon, Brad Feld, Sherry Coutu, and many other super mega famous investors. 

Every 14 days I refresh a collection of 5-10 pitch decks I have gathered over the previous few months that I believe are worthy of some top-tier investor attention. These investors trust me to provide excellent opportunities and I incentivise myself by having an option to invest alongside them, if they choose to participate in your round.

Well, let’s hope so. But also from bitter experience, many advisers aren’t worth their weight in self-congratulatory LinkedIn posts. If your adviser has *personally* raised a lot of capital, and recently, then fair – use them, not me. 

First, I do you a cold-read. I then send you a link to book time with me at your convenience. Prior to your session, it would be helpful to review an updated pitch deck. And during the session I will attempt to help you make edits and tweaks that speak more clearly to your target investors.

Because I don’t need the money. Pretty simple. BUT – there is a ‘cost’. Every video I do gets put on my YouTube channel. I will edit anything sensitive out, including anything you tell me to. But sharing is caring. 

I will *always* redact financial performance and redact intending spending. I will also use my judgement to redact anything I believe would be commercially sensitive. If I have any doubts, I will check with you first

Equity is a powerful motivator for long-term team, advisers, and investors. Cold-reading is meant to be short, sharp, and direct. Equity just isn’t an appropriate currency for this type of product. Soz. 

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