Deck vs Video for Raising: The Founders’ Guide to Picking the Winning Format in 2025

You have 7 seconds to hook an investor. After that, your deck—or your video—either lands in the “fund” pile or the trash. So, deck vs video for raising: which one actually moves the wire faster?

Short answer: it depends on your stage, audience, and storytelling chops. But don’t worry—by the end of this article you’ll know exactly when to attach a PDF, press record, or do both (spoiler: sometimes that’s the cheat code).

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Contents

Quick Glance: Deck vs Video for Raising

1. What Is a Pitch Deck, Really?

2. What Is a Video Pitch?

3. Pros & Cons: Deck vs Video for Raising Capital

4. What the Experts Say

5. When to Use Each Format

6. Real-World Wins

7. The Hybrid Playbook: How to Combine Deck + Video Without Looking Desperate

8. Common Mistakes Founders Make

9. Pre-Launch Checklist: Deck vs Video for Raising

10. FAQ (Add This to Your Schema Markup)

11. Final Verdict: Which One Wins?

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Quick Glance: Deck vs Video for Raising

When it comes to fundraising, choosing between a pitch deck and a video pitch depends on various factors. Pitch decks are generally more skimmable, allowing investors to grasp the core message in about three minutes, whereas video pitches aim to capture attention within 60 to 90 seconds—playing into the “goldfish rule” of short attention spans. In terms of storytelling depth, a deck typically includes 10–15 slides to flesh out the business narrative, while a video pitch relies on one compelling narrative arc to make its impact. 

Data shows that 92% of investors still request traditional decks (DocSend, 2023), but video pitches used with a warm introduction can result in up to 50% more replies (Flowjam data). On the technical side, creating a deck only requires tools like PowerPoint or Figma, while videos need a mic, camera, and some editing skills. However, pitch decks are easier to revise and update, whereas a well-produced video pitch can serve as evergreen content that repeatedly engages new viewers.

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1. What Is a Pitch Deck, Really?

A pitch deck is a 10–15 slide PDF that walks investors through:

• Problem
• Solution
• Market size
• Traction
• Team
• Ask

Think of it as the TL;DR of your entire SaaS launch strategy for startups—minus the coffee breath.

The standard flow (popularized by Sequoia and YC) hasn’t changed much since 2010, but the bar for design has shot up. Today, ugly slides scream “I don’t care about brand”—and neither will VCs.

🔗 External: Y Combinator’s Official Deck Template 

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2. What Is a Video Pitch?

A video pitch is a 60–120 second recorded story that shows your product in action while you narrate the big vision. It can be:

• A simple Loom over your MVP
• A polished 2-D animation (our specialty at Flowjam)
• A selfie-style “founder cam” with b-roll

Unlike a deck, a video forces linear storytelling—investors can’t skip ahead. That’s either a superpower or a curse.

🔗 External: TechCrunch on Why Video Is Eating the World

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3. Pros & Cons: Deck vs Video for Raising Capital

Pitch Deck Pros ✅

• Scannable: VCs can skim in 180 seconds.
• Standardized: They already know where to look for traction slide.
• Easy to Forward: One PDF link, zero friction.

Pitch Deck Cons ✅

• Design Trap: Bad typography = instant “no.”
• Static: Can’t demo the “aha” moment.
• Crowded Inbox: YC Demo Day batches send 1,000+ decks—yours must shout.

Video Pitch Pros ✅

• Emotional Hook: Tone, music, and facial expressions sell conviction.
• Product Demo: Show, don’t tell. Great for validating your SaaS MVP visually.
• Higher Reply Rate: Cold emails with video get 26 % more opens (HubSpot 2024).

Video Pitch Cons ✅

• Production Time: DIY looks… DIY. Agencies cost $3–10 k.
• Bandwidth: Some partners still prefer reading at 1.5x life speed.
• Hosting Woes: If your Google Drive link 404s, so does your round.

🔗 External: DocSend 2022–23 Pre-Seed Fundraising Report

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4. What the Experts Say

  “Send the deck first. If they bite, follow up with a 60-second product video to seal the emotional loop.”

—Gustaf Alströmer, YC Group Partner (Twitter thread, Feb 2024)

LinkedIn thought leader Elizabeth Yin adds:

  “At pre-seed, investors back you. A selfie video can outperform a 20-slide deck because they see the founder grit.”

Meanwhile, Sequoia’s Alfred Lin keeps it blunt:

   “No deck, no meeting. But a killer 45-second teaser can move you to the top of the stack.”

5. When to Use Each Format

Pre-Seed / Idea Stage

• Deck: Keep it 8–10 slides, focus on problem & team.
• Video: Optional 30-second selfie to show hustle. Don’t over-produce.

Seed Round

• Deck: Full 12–15 slides with early traction.
• Video: 60–90 second product demo embedded in slide 3 or linked in email.
• Pro tip: Use Flowjam to turn your deck’s key scenes into an animated teaser—fast, affordable, investor-grade.

Series A+

• Deck: Data-heavy appendix (unit economics, cohorts).
• Video: 2-minute brand film for partner meeting kickoff.
• Both: Send deck beforehand, open the meeting with the video, then deep-dive into slides.

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6. Real-World Wins

• Loom: Raised a $29 M Series B with a 2-minute product video that auto-played on their landing page—no deck in sight for that round.
• Notion: Before their $50 M raise, they shipped a Figma deck + 60-second animation combo; 70 % of investors referenced the video in first calls.
• Scoutnow.ai: YC S23 startup used Flowjam to create a one-minute launch video; the clip cut their fundraising timeline from 12 weeks to 6 weeks.

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7. The Hybrid Playbook: How to Combine Deck + Video Without Looking Desperate

✅ Lead with the deck in your cold email.

✅ Embed a thumbnail of the video on slide 3 (“Press play for 60-sec demo”).

✅ Follow up 24 h later with a personalized Loom answering one specific investor question.

This “triple touch” has become the best way to validate a SaaS MVP in investor eyes without spamming their inbox.

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8. Common Mistakes Founders Make

❌ Wall of text in deck—use 30-point font minimum.

❌ 3-minute+ video—you’re not Christopher Nolan.

❌ Hosting on YouTube with ads—nothing kills hype like a pre-roll Grammarly spot.

❌ Sending 50 MB PDF—DocSend or Google Drive preview only.

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9. Pre-Launch Checklist: Deck vs Video for Raising

✅ Deck has 12 slides max, 24-pt font, one idea per slide.

✅ Video is < 90 sec, captions burned in, hosted on unlisted Vimeo.

✅ Both files named StartupName-Round-Month2024.

✅ Thumbnail of video embedded in deck (clickable on Mac & PC).

✅ Test email under 3 MB or use Docsend link tracking.

✅ A/B test subject lines: “Seed deck + 60-sec demo” vs “Quick intro + product video.”

✅ Prepare a checklist to launch SaaS product appendix slide for data-hungry VCs.

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10. FAQ (Add This to Your Schema Markup)

Q1: Do I have to choose between deck vs video for raising?

Nope. 63 % of YC startups in W24 used both (Flowjam internal survey). Lead with the deck, follow with the video.

Q2: How much should I spend on a video?

DIY is free but risky. A polished 60-second clip from Flowjam starts at $2.4 k—cheaper than a single angel ticket.

Q3: Can I just send a video cold?

Only if you already have traction headlines in the first 5 seconds. Otherwise, investors feel ambushed.

Q4: What about interactive Notion decks?

Great for community rounds, but most VCs still want a PDF for markup. Export to PDF before sending.

Q5: How do I measure success?

Deck: DocSend viewer time > 2 min per slide.

Video: > 75 % watch-through rate. Track with Wistia or Vidyard.

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11. Final Verdict: Which One Wins?

If you’re pre-seed with no revenue, a raw selfie video can humanize you faster than 15 slides of TAM charts.

If you’re raising a priced round, investors will demand a deck for diligence.

The smartest founders? They stack both. A tight deck gets you in the door, a killer 60-second video makes you unforgettable.

Ready to turn your slides into scroll-stopping motion?

👉 Book a 15-min intro with Adam at Flowjam and see how we transform pitch decks into investor-ready launch videos in under 14 days—unlimited revisions included.