#45: There Is No Perfect Pitch Deck - What You Actually Need, with Robert Harary, CEO and VC - Decko

Robert Harary found his first venture deal while in high school detention, and hasn’t looked back since. Today, he sits at the center of the venture ecosystem as both an investor and founder, with a decade-plus obsession for making access to capital more transparent, efficient, and equitable. Robert is the #2 at Evolution VC Partners, where he’s been part of 300+ Culture Tech investments. He runs Timeless Ventures as GP, and has investments in companies like Colossal, Figure AI, and Sindarin. On the founder side, he co-founded DECKO (helping 300+ startups and funds raise $1.2B+) and Raisi (bringing founders in front of 2,000+ investors monthly). Startups Decoded is brought to you by Decko. Contact Decko and use the code word " Decoded " for 20% off. HQ@GetDECKO.com In this conversation, we break down: Why access to capital, not ideas, is the biggest bottleneck for founders How Robert evaluates moonshots (and why he backed OpenAI early) Lessons learned from co-founding DECKO and Weraise Where the venture ecosystem is failing—and what needs to change His belief that democratizing capital will unlock the next wave of transformative companies Chapters 00:00 The Utopian World of Fundraising 06:40 The Evolution of Pitch Decks 13:16 Crafting the Perfect Pitch Deck 20:12 Understanding Investor Psychology 21:59 Cold Outreach and Investor Engagement 23:50 The Three Pillars of Startup Success 26:08 Effective Cold Email Strategies 28:29 The Art of Storytelling in Fundraising 32:40 Investor Marketing as a Relationship Game 39:14 Building Long-Term Investor Relationships Guest Bio Robert Harary is an investor, founder, and venture capitalist obsessed with making capital access more equitable. He is a GP at Timeless Ventures, #2 at Evolution VC Partners (300+ Culture Tech investments), and an angel investor in moonshots, including OpenAI and Colossal. He has co-founded DECKO and Weraise, platforms that have helped 300+ startups and funds raise $1.2B+ from Sequoia, a16z, Accel, YC, and others.