Investors at TechCrunch Disrupt Urge Startups to Ditch Buzzwords, Focus on Fundamentals

SAN FRANCISCO – Venture capitalists at TechCrunch Disrupt advised startups to avoid overusing buzzwords like "AI" in their pitch decks and instead concentrate on demonstrating a deep understanding of the problem they are solving. The investors emphasized the importance of clearly articulating a large addressable market, highlighting the founding team's unique advantages, and showcasing early customer validation to prove the viability of the business.

The advice was dispensed during a panel discussion at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference. Jyoti Bansal, a founder-turned-investor, Medha Agarwal of Defy, and Jennifer Neundorfer of January Ventures shared their perspectives on what makes or breaks a pitch deck, according to TechCrunch.

Agarwal noted a common pet peeve among investors: buzzword overload. "The more a founder says AI in the pitch," Agarwal said, "the less AI the company likely uses." She added that truly innovative companies integrate their technology seamlessly, rather than making it the central focus of their pitch. "The people who are doing things that are really innovative, they’ll talk about it, and it’s built in, but it’s not the core of their pitch," she told the audience.

Bansal, who has built and sold multiple companies, distilled investor expectations into three core questions. First, he assesses whether the startup is tackling a sufficiently large market. Investors prioritize pitches that clearly articulate a large addressable market, highlight the founding team's unique advantages, and showcase early customer validation to prove the viability of the business.