Startup Docs Hub — Writing Toolkit for Founders | Startup League
Startup Docs Hub

Write docs that open doors.

Curated AI prompts and resources for every core fundraising document — copy the prompt, fill in your details, and get a polished first draft in minutes.

One-PagerInitial Pitch DeckExecutive SummaryCold Investor EmailFounder Investment Memo

The Direct Answer — what should I write first?

Start with the One-Pager. It forces you to distill your story to its sharpest form and is all you need to get a first meeting. From there, build in order: Initial Pitch Deck for investor conversations, Executive Summary when asked for more detail, Cold Investor Email to open new relationships, and finally the Founder Investment Memo when a VC is ready to take you to their partnership.

01

One-Pager

Your always-on calling card

What it is

A single-page overview of your company — typically one PDF or web page — that a warm introduction recipient reads before agreeing to a meeting. It distills your story into the key signals investors scan for in under 90 seconds.

What makes it strong

A strong one-pager leads with the problem and market size, states the solution crisply, shows early traction in concrete numbers, and ends with a clear ask (stage, amount, use of proceeds). It should be scannable in 60 seconds yet contain enough substance to earn a reply.

AI Prompt — paste into ChatGPT or Claude

You are helping me write a one-pager for my startup to share with investors before a first meeting. Here is context about my company: - Company name: [NAME] - What we do (one sentence): [DESCRIPTION] - Problem we solve: [PROBLEM] - Our solution / product: [SOLUTION] - Target customer: [ICP] - Market size (TAM / SAM): [MARKET SIZE] - Key traction / metrics: [TRACTION — ARR, users, growth rate, retention, etc.] - Business model: [HOW WE MAKE MONEY] - Stage and round size: [E.g. Seed, raising $2M] - Team highlights: [KEY BACKGROUNDS] Please write a one-pager with these sections: (1) Problem, (2) Solution, (3) Why Now, (4) Traction, (5) Business Model, (6) Team, (7) The Ask. Keep each section to 2–4 sentences. Use concrete numbers wherever possible. The tone should be confident and direct — write for a busy VC partner.
02

Initial Pitch Deck

The artifact that opens doors

What it is

A 10–15 slide presentation that tells the full narrative of your company — from the problem you're solving to the team that will solve it and the return investors can expect. The initial deck is for getting meetings, not for reading aloud in them.

What makes it strong

Strong decks create emotional conviction before they justify it with logic. VCs make a gut decision first — 'do I believe in this?' — and then rationalize with data. That means your narrative arc must first make them feel the urgency of the problem, sense the scarcity of this insight, and believe this team has a unique right to win. Only after that emotional foundation is built should the slides lean into market sizing, unit economics, and financials. Each slide has one central idea. Structure the arc as: Problem urgency → Insight that unlocks the solution → Team destiny → Why now → Market → Product → Business Model → Traction → Ask.

AI Prompt — paste into ChatGPT or Claude

You are helping me outline and write the narrative for my initial pitch deck to send to VCs. Here is context about my company: - Company name: [NAME] - Stage: [Pre-seed / Seed / Series A] - Problem: [PROBLEM — describe who suffers and what it costs them emotionally and economically] - The insight (the non-obvious truth that makes your solution possible): [INSIGHT] - Solution: [SOLUTION] - Why Now (what has changed that makes this the right moment): [WHY NOW] - Market size: [TAM / SAM / SOM] - Product / how it works: [PRODUCT DESCRIPTION] - Business model: [REVENUE MODEL] - Traction: [KEY METRICS — ARR, users, growth, retention] - Competitive landscape: [COMPETITORS AND DIFFERENTIATION] - Team: [FOUNDERS AND KEY HIRES — include any "destiny" elements: lived experience with the problem, domain expertise, prior exits] - Round details: [AMOUNT, STAGE, USE OF FUNDS] Important framing: VCs feel conviction before they justify it with data. Design the narrative to create emotional belief first — the problem should feel urgent and personal, the insight should feel scarce and proprietary, and the team should feel destined for this problem. Once that conviction arc is established, support it with data. For each of these 12 slides, write: (1) the headline (≤10 words, active voice), (2) the 2–3 bullet points or key data points to show, and (3) one note on how to make this slide land emotionally or logically. Slides: Cover, Problem, Insight & Solution, Why Now, Market Size, Product Demo, Business Model, Traction, Go-to-Market, Team, Financials / Use of Funds, The Ask.
03

Executive Summary

The email attachment that gets you in the room

What it is

A 1–2 page written document (not slides) covering the company's key facts in prose form. It is typically sent when an investor requests more detail after a warm intro, or used as the primary outreach asset when you don't yet want to share the deck.

What makes it strong

A strong executive summary is dense with facts and light on adjectives. It answers: What problem, for whom, how big, what's the solution, what's working, who's building it, and what are you asking for? Each paragraph should add new signal — no fluff. End with a clear ask and contact information.

AI Prompt — paste into ChatGPT or Claude

You are helping me write a 1-page executive summary for my startup to share with investors. Here is context: - Company name: [NAME] - Founded: [YEAR], HQ: [LOCATION] - Problem: [PROBLEM — be specific about who suffers from it and the cost] - Solution: [SOLUTION — what you built and how it works] - Target market: [ICP and total addressable market] - Business model: [HOW WE CHARGE] - Traction: [KEY METRICS — revenue, users, growth rate, retention, key customers] - Why now: [MARKET TIMING / TAILWIND] - Team: [FOUNDERS' BACKGROUNDS AND RELEVANT EXPERIENCE] - Round: [AMOUNT RAISING, STAGE, LEAD INVESTOR (if any), USE OF FUNDS] - Notable investors / advisors: [IF ANY] Write a 1-page executive summary in 5–6 paragraphs: (1) Company overview and problem, (2) Solution and product, (3) Market and business model, (4) Traction and milestones, (5) Team, (6) Round details and ask. Use plain, direct language. No buzzwords. Keep the entire document under 600 words.
04

Cold Investor Email

The message that earns a reply

What it is

A short outreach email sent to a VC or angel you have no warm connection to. Its only job is to generate a reply — ideally a meeting request. The average VC receives dozens of cold emails per week; yours needs to earn attention in the preview pane.

What makes it strong

Strong cold emails are under 150 words and front-load the most compelling signal (revenue, growth rate, or a distinctive insight). They state who you are, what you do, and why you're emailing this specific investor in the first two sentences. They end with a single, frictionless ask: a 20-minute call.

AI Prompt — paste into ChatGPT or Claude

You are helping me write a cold outreach email to a venture capital investor. Here is context: - My name: [YOUR NAME], Co-founder & [TITLE] at [COMPANY] - What we do (one sentence max): [DESCRIPTION] - Most impressive traction metric: [E.g. "$40K MRR, growing 25% month-over-month"] - Why this investor specifically: [THESIS FIT — what they've invested in, a portfolio company overlap, a thesis they've written about] - Round details: [STAGE AND AMOUNT, E.G. "Seed, $2M"] - Deck / one-pager link: [LINK OR "available on request"] Write 3 variations of a cold email, each under 150 words: 1. Lead with traction — open with the strongest metric 2. Lead with insight — open with a non-obvious observation about the market 3. Lead with social proof — open with a credible signal (prior investor, customer, or advisor) Each version should: state who I am, what we do, why we're reaching out to them specifically, the round details, and a single ask (20-minute call). Subject line included.
05

Founder Investment Memo

Write your IC memo so the VC doesn't have to

What it is

A full-prose document — typically 2–5 pages — written by the founder in the style of an internal VC investment committee (IC) memo. When a VC decides to champion your deal, they must write an IC memo to get approval from their partnership. By writing it yourself, you remove friction, pre-answer the tough questions, and hand the champion a first draft they can actually use. This is standard practice at firms like a16z.

What makes it strong

A strong founder investment memo is written as if you are the VC advocate, not the founder pitching. It anticipates the skeptical questions the partnership will ask and answers them with evidence. It is structured, analytically rigorous, and free of promotional language. Every section should add signal that the VC couldn't easily find in your deck — color on the team's edge, depth on market dynamics, honesty about risks and how you're mitigating them. Founders who write clear-eyed, intellectually honest memos build far more trust than those who only pitch upsides.

AI Prompt — paste into ChatGPT or Claude

You are helping me write a Founder Investment Memo — a full-prose document structured like a VC's internal investment committee memo, written by me as the founder so a VC champion can use it as a first draft for their partnership presentation. Here is context about my company: - Company name: [NAME] - Stage and round: [E.g. Seed, raising $3M] - One-liner: [ONE SENTENCE DESCRIPTION] - Team: [FOUNDERS — backgrounds, relevant experience, why you/why now] - Problem & Market: [PROBLEM DESCRIPTION, who suffers, cost of the problem, market size (TAM/SAM/SOM), why this market now] - Product Overview: [WHAT YOU BUILT, how it works, key differentiators, current product stage] - Go-to-Market Strategy: [HOW YOU ACQUIRE CUSTOMERS, channels, partnerships, land-and-expand motion, sales cycle] - Business Model: [HOW YOU CHARGE, pricing, gross margins, LTV/CAC if known, path to profitability] - Traction: [KEY METRICS — ARR/MRR, growth rate, retention/churn, key customers, notable milestones] - Competitive Landscape: [DIRECT AND INDIRECT COMPETITORS, your differentiated position, defensibility/moat] - Vision: [WHERE THIS IS GOING in 5–10 years, what category you will define or reshape] - Key risks: [TOP 2–3 RISKS AND HOW YOU'RE MITIGATING THEM] - Use of funds: [WHAT THE ROUND BUYS — milestones, hires, runway] Write the investment memo with these sections: (1) One-Liner & Investment Thesis, (2) Team, (3) Problem & Market, (4) Product Overview, (5) Go-to-Market Strategy, (6) Business Model, (7) Traction, (8) Competitive Landscape, (9) Vision, (10) Key Risks & Mitigants. Write in full prose, third person, as if a VC partner wrote it to their partnership. Be analytically honest — acknowledge risks and explain why you're still a compelling bet. Keep each section 2–4 paragraphs. Total length: 3–5 pages.

These prompts are starting points. Always review, refine, and tailor AI output to your company's specific facts and voice.