Lessons learned from Freshworks’ first pitch deck

In the world of startups, a pitch deck is still the ultimate audition. Get the part and get the VC funding; miss the mark and you’re back at your day job.

On the inaugural Accel India podcast PitchCraft, Freshworks founder and CEO Girish “G” Mathrubootham reflected on the deck he presented 13 years ago that helped secure the company’s first round of funding from Silicon Valley venture capital firm Accel. 

“Today, this deck holds nostalgia, but when I created it, it was driven more by hope than anything else,” G explained to host Chandra Srikanth, deputy executive editor of India news site Moneycontrol. Guided by an article he read by famed investor and AngelList founder Naval Ravikant, G began his journey into the unfamiliar work of prepping a pitch deck.

Looking back on his journey of building a publicly traded SaaS company, here are three important lessons for pitching investors that G shared: 

Know your strengths

According to Mathrubootham, investors look for signs of craftsmanship: a commitment to the process, storytelling prowess, attention to detail, and, above all: vision. For Freshworks (then Freshdesk), G realized the alchemy lay in the team. 

“Our strongest asset has always been the people,” he said. “Emphasizing this, I positioned the team as the highlight, showing our capability to build something remarkable.” 

Be scrappy 

G leveraged connections like Ravikant and asked them to send introductory emails. He wrote a blog post on lean startups for an App Sumo contest. He didn’t win the contest, but the post got traction on Hacker News, leading to valuable inbound connections and becoming an integral part of his Freshworks story.  

Make the complex simple

Being an effective communicator is essential. G used clever analogies, such as “the iPhone of helpdesks” and “the Uber of customer support” to connect with his audience. 

Whether teaching Java or seeking funding from VCs, understanding your audience is paramount. As G explained, investors aren't just seeking a solution; they want to comprehend the problem being solved and its significance. They’re not funding a pitch deck; they're investing in a business, a founder, and a long-term vision.

Watch the full episode on YouTube