Why It’s Time to Supplement Pitch Decks with Investability Ratings

For decades, the pitch deck has been the default tool for startups seeking funding. But let’s face it: the system is broken. With 90% of decks rejected—often within minutes—it’s clear both founders and investors are frustrated with the inefficiency, bias, and guesswork. Poor quality applications = poor quality dealflow.

So what’s the alternative? Enter investability ratings: data-driven assessments that evaluate a startup's potential using objective, standardised metrics—think of it as the startup world’s answer to a credit score.

While storytelling is important, pitch decks have major flaws:

• Subjectivity: Success can depend more on design and charisma than business fundamentals.

• Time-inefficiency: VCs sift through hundreds of poor quality decks, wasting hours. Investors want quality deal-flow but aren't getting it.

• Bias and inconsistency: A slick deck or a confident founder can skew decisions.

• Lack of standardisation: Every deck is different, making apples-to-apples comparison nearly impossible.

✅ Why Investability Ratings Matter

Just like credit scores/ratings transformed lending, investability ratings offer a smarter way to assess startups:

• Objectivity & Fairness: Based on real business data, not pitch polish.

• Standardised Evaluation: Every startup assessed on the same criteria.

• Faster Screening: AI-powered ratings save time for investors and startups alike.

• Actionable Feedback: Startups learn what to fix before applying.

The partnership between Fundability and Pitchago is leading the shift, offering founders a data-rich score across 16 core business dimensions—from team strength to financial projections. Over 600 startups plus accelerators and VCs are already using the platform to raise and invest, smarter.

Pitch decks aren’t going away though. They’re still great for storytelling. But pairing them with investability ratings creates a hybrid model where storytelling is backed by substance.

💥 The Benefits for Founders

For startups, an investability rating is a strategic move costing only $21 monthly. Cancel at any time.

• Build credibility with investors.

• Understand and fix weaknesses before pitching.

• Stand out from the crowd with objective validation.

• When ready, apply via the platform to best-fit investors

🧠 The Benefits for Investors

For VCs, angels, and accelerators overwhelmed by poor quality deal flow, investability ratings enable better screening; reduce bias and provide upfront data to enable smarter due diligence and reeuce the time needed to make investment decisions. 

🎯 Final Word: The old way—sending decks — doesn't work for 90% of applicants. The new way? Combine decks with data-led analysis to create a smarter, fairer funding ecosystem.

Startups improve quality of applications and chances of success.

Investors get better quality dealflow. Everyone saves time and money.

It’s time to move beyond the pitch deck alone. Investability ratings are the future.🔗 Learn more at www.fundability.org.uk